Lucid Dreams
by Cursed Detective
Summary: Because sorcery and science don't always cover everything, and legendary artifacts of power have their own twists within reality. Timetravel.
1. Prelude

_So, first (semi-published) non-literature-class story! M/M elements, though romance will not be a main focus. I don' really differentiate between _Detective Conan_ and _Magic Kaito,_ as they are interlinked throughout both manga/anime canons and by the same author._

_Also, _Do Not Own_. Fanfiction, y'know._

**_Lucid Dreams_**  
_Prelude:_

Double-ended quartz glinted, a point of red sparking to life under moonlight. **_Pandora_**_._

They had found it. They had—but the Organization had found _them._ Panic and silenced gunshots and red-on-white as Kids' suits stained (both, reflections of each other as they had been in so many things throughout the years), and Shinichi knew he'd been shot, knew _Kaito_ had been shot, and the bright quartz had passed from one to the other several times, streaked with sticky-slick liquid, almost black against the growing glow from within the crystal. Not a gem at all, but a crystal.

Two more sounds, sharply soft, and _impact_ and Kaito was falling against him and his own chest felt compressed. He couldn't breathe and it wasn't just panic, but Kaito had been the only one he'd been able to rely on for _years._ They had trained and fought together until they could slip into each others' roles with no one but them the wiser, because even if Kaito was always that little bit better with sleight-of-hand and Shinichi could calculate a soccer ball bounce twelve ways to Kaito's eight, no one else knew them well enough to tell.

Years of running and tricking and trying not to get killed, trying to draw the carrion crows of the Organization away from people they (still) cherished, of leaving heartbreak and sorrow in their wake as new friends were left thinking them dead again and again and _again…_ Until 'new friends' were too dangerous a thing to have.

Now, they only had each other. Now, _now_… if Kaito was dead, Shinichi didn't care if he died, too, because he _could not do this alone_.

His vision fogged and someone (probably Snake, _always_ Snake when Pandora might surface) shoved Kaito off of him with a foot, the thief's body moving with the kick in a way that spoke of death. Light glinting off darkened metal, a double-thud of sound—and Shinichi's vision went dark, a last fading wish passing through his mind.

_xxxx_

Red light flared, a red like sunrise and fire and butterfly wings and blood; miles apart, two teenage boys jolted up, screaming wordless denial.

_xxxx_


	2. Chapter 1

.

**_Chapter 1_**

Kudo Shinichi's brain had already plotted out three possible exits from whatever room he was being held in before recognition overlaid itself on his mental map. This—this was _his_ room, the one in the Kudo mansion, the one he hadn't slept in since being poisoned at Tropical Land nearly eighteen years before.

He wasn't dead, wasn't even _injured_… and his body was younger, lacking the familiar pull of old scars and the near-constant ache of pushed-too-far. He stood shakily, checking the calendar—three weeks _before_ that life-changing encounter at the amusement park.

Impossible, that _hadn't_ been a dream, and time did not bend to anyone… _But_, a mental voice that sounded suspiciously like Kaito reminded him, _Koizumi had _real _magic, and you learned the governing rules. No _human_ could have done this… but Pandora's legend was _Hope._ What did you want, with it in your hand? What did you hope for?_

And the answer was 'For this to not have happened'.

Swallowing, Shinichi pulled out his cell and typed in a familiar number that he hadn't used in nearly six years, since they'd had to ditch their cells in favor of the two-way, linked-only-to-each-other communication devices that Agasa and Jii had teamed up on just before the Black Organization had caught up again. He sent a text, a single symbol, and prayed to the gods he'd never believed in that his _hope_ was somehow right.

_xxxx_

Kuroba Kaito jerked upright, a scream dying in his throat, the image of white soaking through with red before his eyes, staining his-his-his _everything_ for the past six years and more, staining with the color that they'd both somehow always managed to avoid. Neither of them had _ever_ taken a life.

Neither of them had lost their own.

Only that hadn't been a dream, because dreams weren't that _real_, and Shinichi fading away beneath him while he hadn't even been able to hold on himself was a nightmare worse than any he'd faced in sleep, and this place he was in… was _familiar_.

He was in the hidden workshop without recalling how he'd gotten there, how long he'd been there, the date or time or time or anything else as he tried to work through horror. He couldn't face this again, not _again,_ and what did it _matter_ what he knew if Shinichi had _died_ to give him this?

His phone beeped and he pulled it out on numb reflex, glancing at the screen. Date, time—eighteen years gone—one new message from an achingly familiar number.

His throat tightened, breath constricting. He hit 'open'.

"**!**"

Oh, thank gods and ancestors—he _wasn't alone._ There was only one response to give.

_xxxx_

"**?**"

Shinichi breathed out, shoulders slumping in overwhelming _relief._ "See you tomorrow" he sent back before punching in a number for someone he hadn't spoken to since Vermouth had been put on the Organization's hit-list, only for their first assassination attempt to hit the wrong woman.

"Shin-chan? Is something wrong? You're calling awfully late."

"Kaa-san," Shinichi closed his eyes, breathing carefully. "I can't—I need—" frustrated, he paused to get his own 'Poker Face' up, then tried again. "I want to switch schools."

Yukiko could clearly tell that something was genuinely bothering her son, as she skipped all her usual antics. "Shin-chan? Anything specific?"

"Hai, Ekoda High, class 2-B."

"All right. Your father and I will get it settled. Do you need it by morning?"

"It would… help."

"All right. Shin-chan? Be careful."

Shinichi smiled slightly, "Aa*, Kaa-san. I will. Arigato."

_xxxx_

Kaito allowed himself to relax a bit, making his way back to his room to flop onto his bed, the movement carefully controlled but as close to carelessness as he could manage without Shinichi in sight. Still, he _was_ tired, and a few quick motions had invisible silent alarms set around his entire room. If anyone tried to sneak in, he'd know it.

He let himself settle in to doze, knowing he'd meet up with his partner sometime the next day.

_xxxx_

Kaito blinked twice before his face stretched into a relieved grin. "Shinichi!" two steps and his arms were around his balance-point, his anchor_._ "When you said you'd see me today, I wasn't expecting _this!_"

Shinichi returned the hug with somewhat less flamboyance, catching the gesture for what it was. "Kaa-san and Tou-san pushed the paperwork through in about five hours."

"Really? Wonder how fast they'd manage to get a marriage license through."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow, "Was that a proposition?"

Kaito considered. They hadn't ever defined their relationship, and even if they had there wouldn't have been any way to safely marry if they'd for some reason chosen to. "Might make things easier," he admitted, thinking of Aoko and Ran, "My mom knows your parents, after all, and if we talk them into 'arranging' it would take the pressure off from the girls. And blatant romantic affection isn't really expected for arranged marriages." Fingers shifted in sign-code, a habitual subtext. 'Safer for them, once we start moving.'

_Logical_, Shinichi noted, _and if _Kaito_ is being 'logical'…_ "True. Want me to call my parents?"

"Sooner the better, probably. I don't know how I'm going to explain you, otherwise. I think we should keep our names, though—I can't really imagine changing them."

"Mm," Shinichi pulled out his cell and dialed while Kaito did the same with his own mother.

"_Shin-chan? Two calls in under nine hours?_" Yukiko was audibly concerned, "_What's wrong?_"

"I can't explain over a phone," Shinichi stated, "and… this is going to sound crazy, but Kuroba Kaito and I need you to arrange a marriage between us and push it through as fast as possible _without_ letting anyone know either of us had anything to do with it. No name changes."

Silence. Had he actually managed to render his mother speechless? That was an accomplishment.

"_I'm sure there's a story behind this, but that can wait. I'll call Chikage-chan and Yuusaku will have the certificate waiting at the courthouse in half an hour. You'll have just enough time to get it settled before school._"

Shinichi let out a breath, "Thanks, Kaa-san. We're heading there now."

Kaito glanced at him, hanging up his own phone. "Well, good thing our parents know each other. My mom said there are matching rings in her hideaway in the house—I'll be just a sec. Grab a taxi?"

Shinichi nodded and thirty minutes later they were signing a certificate before taking another taxi back to Ekoda, where they hopped out two blocks from the actual high school. Time to rev up the acting skills.

_xxxx_

"Bakaito!" the shout was so achingly familiar that Kaito winced before he could stop himself and Nakamori Aoko hesitated, book bag dropping back to her side as she glanced between Kaito and the lookalike next to him.

"H-hey, Aoko," Kaito smiled at her, but even he could tell it came off weak with bloody memory playing behind his eyes. Of course, considering the turn this conversation was about to take, 'weak smile' was something he could work with.

"Is something wrong? Who's this?"

"Ah… this is Kudo Shinichi, my… uh…"

"Husband," Shinichi supplied dryly. "As of this morning, thanks to our _insane_ parents."

Aoko gaped at them.

"We actually _have_ known each other for a while," Kaito admitted, "Mine and Shinichi's parents were friends a long time before either of us was born, and I don't know who got drunk last night, but this morning… uh, Shinichi found out he'd had his schools switched and we both found out we were supposed to be signing documents. Kaa-san even had _rings._"

Aoko blinked. "Is that—does that even _happen?_ Paperwork doesn't go through that fast!"

"It does when you know the people my parents know," Shinichi huffed, flexing his left hand awkwardly. The ring on his finger glinted.

Kaito glanced down at his own hand, curling it into a loose fist to look at the white gold. "Could be worse, I suppose," he admitted. "At least we get along."

"We still need to fill out the new emergency contact information at the school office," Shinichi pointed out, "And… well, everything _else_."

"Here's hoping we manage to get through today without you stumbling over a body," Kaito grumbled. "I _swear_ you're cursed."

Aoko blanched a bit. Score one for effective-via-horror topic changes.

"I'm starting to believe you," Shinichi admitted. "I'm averaging running across two murders a week…"

"You are _not_ making me feel better."

"I run into a lot less death when you're around, though. Maybe you're a counterbalance?"

"Or maybe you've just been lucky when I'm around," Kaito snarked back, "Now that we're going to be spending a _lot_ more time together, I guess we'll find out."

Shinichi grimaced, "I'm hoping the 'counterbalance' theory will pan out."

"Ano… We're here," Aoko managed, unnerved by the conversation.

Shinichi glanced at her and winced a bit, "Sorry. It's just… easier to stay sane if I try not to take it too seriously. I'm a detective and I specialize in homicide—more by circumstance than by choice, I grant you. Megure-keibu often asks me to consult on cases even when I'm not initially present at the scene."

Aoko relaxed a little, the reasoning behind her unease shifting. The look in Kudo-san's eyes said 'seen too much' and 'tired', but not… well, anything worse. "Good luck, then. I'll see you in class, Kaito."

Kaito looked after her speculatively, and Shinichi placed a hand on his shoulder to steer him towards the office. "Paperwork. No pranking. I want to get this done in a reasonable amount of time."

Kaito pouted, "You ruin _all_ my fun!"

Shinichi shook his head, a tiny smile tugging at his mouth.

_xxxx_

Hakuba blinked as Kuroba flopped into his seat without pulling a single prank, the magician nearly vibrating with what looked like either nervousness or a poorly-suppressed caffeine overdose. Not something he'd seen before on Kuroba.

When the prank-free pre-class time turned into prank-free class-is-starting time, Hakuba was far from the only one sending worried glances towards the class clown. Nakamori-san, the British detective noted, was _not._ Concerned glances, yes, but not the usual nervous ones that everyone else seemed to be giving.

"All right, class, we have a new student joining today," the teacher informed, keeping a wary eye on Kuroba, "It was a bit last-minute, so please be kind to him!"

The person stepping in the door was familiar enough that if Kuroba hadn't still been sitting right next to him, Hakuba would swear the magician had changed his hairstyle and hopped up front.

"Kudo-kun, would you introduce yourself?"

The boy at the front of the class bowed slightly, "My name is Kudo Shinichi; I'm a homicide detective. Please refrain from making me practice my profession at school—and, yes_,_ that _has_ happened before at two of my previous schools."

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Tanaka-san in the front row asked in a tone that could only be described as 'fangirl'.

Kudo's tone went coolly polite, "I am married," he ignored the surprised murmurs and turned his gaze on his lookalike, "And Kaito?" A bag of glitter, something thin and shiny, and what looked like an inactive smoke bomb hit the desk across the isle from the ash-blond detective.

Hakuba blinked and swung his gaze to the prankster just in time to catch the look of comical betrayal.

"That—that—husband, you're so _mean!_" Kuroba clutched at his chest dramatically, pretending to swoon, and the act had Hakuba's brain taking several seconds longer than it should have to register the wording. "I just wanted to make your introduction more memorable!"

"You're _married?_" he demanded, wide-eyed, suddenly taking in the matching rings.

Kuroba pouted, folding his arms, "I think my mom wants him to keep me in line. Or maybe his mom wants me to corrupt him. It's hard to tell. Also, for the record, never make him mad if there is anything even remotely kickable nearby and never _ever_ go against him if he has a soccer ball. He's _terrifying_."

The entire class was a bit too stunned to do anything but collectively gape, including the teacher, and Hakuba watched with a sense of detachment as the other detective sighed and walked over to take the seat in front of Kuroba, which hadn't been empty until the student who had been sitting there before found himself and his things relocated across the room in a puff of yellow smoke.

"Kaito…" Kudo's voice was quiet, resigned.

Kuroba offered a wan smile, "Hey, we can make this work, Shinichi. I know it was… unplanned, but…"

Hakuba forced his attention to his books, feeling very much like an intruder.

He still caught the soft, "Yeah… and Kaito?"

"Hm?"

There followed a quick series of sounds inside a spontaneously appearing smoke-cloud that ended with _Kuroba_ covered in glitter and sporting bright blue hair (despite the fact that dying dark hair such a shade should take upwards half an hour), eyes wide as the smoke around him dissipated.

The class _stared._

Kuroba's surprise melted into a broad grin, "Shinichi… can I also say I've been crushing on your creativity for _years?_"

Kudo snorted elegantly, "Figures. You _would_ fall for being outdone."

_xxxx_

_* 'aa' is an informal affirmative in Japanese, somewhat similar to 'yeah' in English. Not something you'd say to a higher-ranked military officer, but it crops up in casual conversation. Naturally, some people are overall more formal than others. The 'mm' that is frequently used in the Japanese-language anime doesn't seem to be an actual word. It seems to just one of those vague sounds people make when they agree (or disagree, or acknowledge noncommittally) with something. 'Hai' is a more formal 'yes' and can be used as 'yes, sir/ma'am' though it is often also just used as a 'yes' in general._

_Most Japanese terms I will use in this story should be translatable (or at least infer-able) from context and are intended as a reminder that the setting is in Japan and the language being spoken in-story is not English unless otherwise stated._

_On another note: same-sex marriage is not legally recognized in Japan, and while same-sex couples may leave the country to marry elsewhere, there are no legal benefits to doing so once they have returned to Japan. The Shibuya district in Tokyo has declared plans to make a 'Proof of Partnership' paper available to same-sex couples which would not grant legal benefits per say, but would allow access to hospitalized partners and similar situations. Thus, this story is not a reflection of actual Japanese structure with the arranged marriage between two same-sex individuals, though over half of polled citizens believe that there should be no discrimination against homosexual couples. (Probably largely due to Shintoism and the adopted religions of Buddhism and Confucianism not having any restrictions against same-sex relationships.)_

_xxxx_


	3. Chapter 2

.

**_Chapter 2_**

Aoko frowned in mild disappointment when Kaito's response to the salmon she had just bought for dinner was not a shriek of terror but rather a mild grimace. Then she noticed the hand on Kaito's shoulder and the way Kudo-kun had leveled a reassuring gaze at the magician.

Hm. While she had occasionally entertained the idea of 'childhood friends to marriage', she had to admit she didn't really see Kaito as 'good boyfriend' material and Kudo-kun seemed to have a way with the prankster-magician. And that particular interaction was _adorable._

Her unease over the out-of-the-blue marriage evaporated into a silent '_squee'_. Kudo-kun not only kept Kaito's antics down to a less chaotic level, but was capable of reassuring him in the face of _fish!_ That made Kudo-kun a minor miracle in his own right. "Hey, Kaito, Kudo-kun! Why don't you two come over for dinner? There's enough here."

Kudo-kun grinned, suddenly looking _exactly_ like Kaito. "Thank you, Nakamori-chan, but I think we'll have to take a rain check. Maybe when you're not having 'finny thing' for dinner."

Aoko blushed, "Ah, right. Aoko doesn't know what she was thinking. How about tomorrow, then? Aoko will plan a safe meal."

Kaito smiled, small and genuine. "Thanks, Aoko. It means a lot."

Aoko smiled back, happy she could support her friend. "I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about. I'll see you tomorrow!"

_xxxx_

"You realize you have to tell Ran-chan, right?"

Shinichi groaned, "I know! She's going to be so angry, too… I need my parents in on this, but explaining over the phone seems like a bad idea."

"My mom'll be home tonight; she knows the Pandora legend well enough. We can get her to help and tell your parents later. Meanwhile, you should let Ran-chan know about this," Kaito tilted his left hand so white gold flashed brilliantly in the sun.

"Aa, I know. Fine," Shinichi pulled out his cell and called Ran, grimacing a bit over the thought of possible reactions. It had been too long since he'd known high-school Ran, and he couldn't be sure how well she'd take it.

"_Moshi moshi?_"

"… Ran," Shinichi stated, just this side of nervous.

"_Shinichi? Where have you been? The teacher said your dad suddenly transferred you out of Teitan _this morning!_ Is something going on? Are you in trouble?_"

Shinichi coughed lightly, "Define 'trouble'."

"_Shinichi!_"

"All right, all right! Yeah, I got transferred to Ekoda, and—I, uh, kind-of got an arranged marriage sprung on me. Kuroba Kaito is my new… husband."

Silence. Ringing, deafening silence.

"Ran? I need a response of some kind; I'm edgy enough as it is."

"_Shinichi!_" Verbal explosion. Shinichi was glad he wasn't in hitting range. "_Why didn't you _tell me_ you were engaged? Is that why you transferred without saying anything to me? What's going on!?_"

Shinichi sighed, "I'm sorry; nothing was pre-arranged that I knew of. Kaa-san just called at four this morning and told me I was going to Ekoda and had to stop off at the courthouse with the son of an old friend. It was… surprising."

"_Oh, for… Yukiko-san's still a little out there, huh?_"

"Ah, yeah, and I'm still not sure whether or not there was alcohol involved."

Ran started snickering on the other end of the line, though at least she had the grace to try and muffle it, "_And you had a _marriage_ sprung on you for it?_"

Shinichi sighed, "Well… Kaito and I have always gotten along pretty well, even if we haven't seen each other as often in the past few years. We can get kind of… competitive, though. Toi-san and Tou-san were the same way and Kaa-san was Toi-san's student."

"_Ne, Shinichi… are you really okay with that? Getting married?_"

"It's already happened, and… well, if it's _Kaito_…"

"_Oh?_" Ran's inflection went blatantly teasing, "_Does Shinichi have a crush on his childhood playmate?_"

Shinichi huffed good-naturedly, "Not 'crush', but… he's important to me."

"Aw, you're important to me, too, Shin-chan!" Kaito chirped, draping himself over his new husband's shoulder. "If we don't end up driving each other insane, we'll be fine!"

"_Is that Kaito-san? You should bring him over here for dinner tonight. I'd like to meet him._"

Shinichi glanced sideways at his partner, "One condition: no seafood."

"_No seafood?_"

"Yeah, nothing caught in water. Kaito's a bit… intolerant." Just a bit, now, thanks to a year's worth of acclimation therapy. Neither of them could afford to panic in the face of a phobia—but Kaito would never be fond of fish. At least they no longer terrified him; he could even fake complete comfort if necessary, given a little warning or adjustment-time.

"_All right, then. I think I can handle that. We'll have dinner at six-thirty._"

"All right, see you then."

"_Mm_," Ran hung up first and Shinichi followed suit.

"Well," Kaito tugged at Shinichi's arm, "Just enough time to talk to Agasa-hakase beforehand, and afterwards I need to see what heist I have lined up…"

"Drop off requests and blueprints, dinner, conference with Jii?"

"In that order," Kaito confirmed, bouncing lightly. "Shinichi—we have _time!_"

"And a head start," Shinichi confirmed, smiling. "Oh, hey—we're still in our school uniforms and we're about to visit Agasa-hakase. Got a comb?"

Kaito glanced at him and slowly started to grin. "Twins?"

"I was thinking 'clones'."

"You for Hakase and me for Jii-chan?"

Shinichi's smirk was all the answer he needed.

_xxxx_

Kaito was still cackling intermittently when they got to the Mouris', looking like their respective selves again rather than two Kudo Shinichis. They'd actually managed to convince poor Agasa of a (currently impossible) physics accident having somehow duplicated the original detective. They had eventually 'fessed up (Agasa might _possibly_ have taken the 'duplicate' idea a little more easily than the 'married' one) and handed over schematics for Shinichi-sized Conan gadgets; citing watch, shoes, and belt as the only ones where 'rush' was a really good idea.

Meanwhile, neither of them was crazy enough to have _Mouri Ran's_ introduction be a prank, so Kaito toned down his glee and settled a bit as Shinichi rang the bell.

Ran blinked upon opening the door, doing a double-take. "Is that intentional?" she asked, gesturing between them.

"No, we really look like twins. If we match hairstyles and do some serious personality-overhaul acting, we can pass as each other pretty easily," Shinichi admitted.

"Huh," Ran looked between them suspiciously.

Kaito grinned, "Hey, Ran-chan! We've already met, you just didn't know it! Some days Shin-chan just needs a break from his life, you know? We've swapped schooldays a couple times."

Shinichi's left hand came up to cover his eyes, ring glinting. "Kaito…"

"What? It's true. I know you play up the 'liking the attention' bit because you're a highschooler and at first you really did_,_ but I _know_ how much it's started to wear at you."

"I… yeah, but now she's going to be looking at me sideways every day, trying to figure out if we've swapped."

"Shinichi," Kaito poked him, "Your father had you switched into my school, remember? _This morning?_ If we swap, it'll be in the same classroom and that actually could be kind-of fun… ooooh, should we do the 'clone' thing in class? They'll know one of us isn't whoever we decide to be for the day, but they'll never figure out which!"

Ran blinked, shaking her head.

Shinichi elbowed Kaito, "Sorry, Ran. He's a massive prankster. He _can_ behave himself, but he loves to mess with people. Also, Kaito, we're still standing in the doorway; can you not announce your insanity to the world?"

"Can you really convincingly be each other?" Ran asked, genuinely curious as she ushered them into the living room.

Shinichi and Kaito exchanged glances and Shinichi shrugged a bit, gesturing to himself lightly.

A poof of smoke enveloped Kaito, and suddenly there were two of Shinichi in the Mouris' living room.

"Yo, Ran," they spoke in unison, offering identical offhanded waves. "Sorry I'm late. Got caught up in a case."

Mouri Kogoro stepped into the room at just the right time to catch the tail end of the act and the freaked-out shout was _priceless_. (Ran's gaping was pretty satisfying, too.)

Another puff of smoke, this time covering both the boys, and twin prankster-grins lit blue eyes with bright mischief under shaggy hair. "Ran-chan! Thanks for inviting me! I'm glad you're not upset with me."

Kogoro fell over, sputtering.

"How are you—your _voices_ changed!"

One of them suddenly dropped the prankster-stance and became Shinichi with ruffled hair instead of a cheerful stranger. "We've both got perfect pitch and it's possible to mimic voices when you can match individual tones. I had to learn relative pitch to pull it off, though; Kaito's better with voices than I am. As it is, our voices aren't really very different, it's mostly tone and inflection with us."

Kaito grinned, "And, like I said, we know each other pretty well. If we can fake it through a school-day, obviously a few seconds with the 'I'm seeing double' shock-value is easy."

"Then…" Ran frowned, looking a bit hurt, "Shinichi? Why didn't you tell me when you switched places?"

It was Kaito who answered, "Well, of course that wouldn't work. Then he wouldn't have been Kaito and I wouldn't have been Shinichi. Well, he might have still been able to be Kaito, but if _you_ knew I would be Kaito-acting-as-Shinichi and not _Shinichi_."

Kogoro had gathered his wits enough to butt in, "That doesn't make any sense! You can't just be someone else!"

"It's a frame of mind," Shinichi informed, "An acting trick. If you think 'I'm pretending to be this person' then you still have the frame of mind of _not_ being that person."

"Temporary intentional disassociation," Kaito agreed, "If I'm Kaito-disguised-as-Shinichi, I'm still _Kaito._ That means I'll be more likely to speak or act like Kaito and, let's face it, I'm _way_ too into pranks to go a whole day as myself without turning someone's hair purple or something. That's so far from Shinichi's general behavior that it would give everything away in a _heartbeat._ If I decide to be Shinichi for the duration of school, then I'm _Shinichi_ for the duration of school. I have to react as Shinichi, move as Shinichi, even _think_ as Shinichi. I can't be Kaito and still be Shinichi."

Shinichi nodded, "Mom taught me how; it can be really useful. I mean, there's the knowledge of who you _really_ are, but you kind of… package it up, slap on a mental label, and set it aside for however long you need to. After you get whatever you wanted or needed from the disguise, you can drop the mentality and go back to being who you really are. Children do it all the time, whenever they play 'pretend' games."

"It's not foolproof, of course," Kaito interjected, "You can still be startled out of it. I mean, if I actually had Shinichi's luck and a corpse fell from the sky to land in front of me, my first reaction would probably be very _not-_Shinichi. Standard, ordinary things? Mind-frame keeps you in character."

Ran considered, "That's really interesting," she admitted, "I'm not happy you didn't say anything, and I'd like to know why you did it, but it _is_ interesting. Right now, though, I need to finish up making dinner. We can talk over food."

_xxxx_

"I think," Kaito informed as he and Shinichi approached the billiards hall door, "Jii-chan needs to be handled a bit differently. You go first—and just be _you_, aside from the hairstyle."

Shinichi smirked and shook his head, "Oh, you're _cruel_."

"Aren't I, though?" Kaito grinned. "Remember not to knock. I'll unlock it."

_xxxx_

"Bocchama! I have the equipment ready for your next show!"

Shinichi hesitated at the door, affecting bafflement. "Gomen… I'm a little lost and the door wasn't locked, so…"

A billiards' table top was already flipping over, revealing a lineup of borderline-illegal magician's equipment. Only borderline, as it _could_ be used legally, but considering who the equipment was for… Yeah, likelihood of legal use was pretty much nil.

"Um, sir? I'm not who you think I am."

"Bocchama, now is not the time to joke. I still need to go over the floor plans with you one more time," Jii scowled at the blueprint as he unfolded it.

"No, seriously, my name is Kudo Shinichi. I'm a detective—and you're showing me something that looks suspiciously like the setup for Kaitou Kid's next heist."

Jii turned the scowl on Shinichi, "Bocchama, please—" he was cut off by the door opening.

"Jii-chan!" Kaito called, waltzing into the room with a broad grin only to freeze at seeing Shinichi. "Ano… Jii-chan? What is this?"

Jii paled, returning his attention to the person he'd been casually assuming (despite protests) was Kuroba Kaito. The Kaito-twin stranger had claimed to be a _detective._

"You were right, Kaito," Shinichi informed before Kaitou Kid's assistant could have a heart attack, "Mess up my hair a bit and I really _am_ mistaken for you, even by Jii-san."

Jii sputtered, half-panicked.

"Maa, maa, Jii-chan! It's all right, Shinichi's not going to turn us in."

"K-k-kaito-sama! _Detective!_"

"Yes, Jii-chan, Shin-chan _is_ a detective," Kaito pitched his voice to 'soothing', "However, he only goes after criminals who hurt people and apparently 'Kid doesn't count'. Besides which—well, Jii-chan, show me the lineup and we can head over to my place. Kaa-san needs an explanation, too."

_xxxx_

Safely ensconced at the Kuroba house's kitchen table, an unobtrusive white-noise generator running in the corner (just in case), Kaito found himself on the receiving end of one terrifying glare from his mother.

"All right, Kaito, what on _earth_ is going on? This morning I thought you were pulling a prank when you asked about rings, but then I got a call from Yukiko-chan, saying you and Shinichi were getting _married_ and, no, she didn't know why, but could I please pretend to have arranged it?"

Kaito sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in a habit he'd picked up from Shinichi during some his more headache-inducing cases. "Mom… you know about Pandora, right?"

Chikage glared, but it quickly became clear that Kaito was actually waiting for a response. "Yes," she affirmed shortly.

"It didn't… do what they expected it to. Shinichi's the one who figured it out, after the fact. You know the legend of Pandora's Box, right?" At his mother's nod, Kaito continued. "When all else was released upon the world, and Pandora managed to keep the last thing held within, what was left?"

Chikage paused, "Hope. Hope was left."

"If you listen to the full story, it is not Hope that was trapped within the box," Shinichi stepped in carefully, "Though that is how it is most 'romantically' interpreted, the original tale explained slightly more in depth. Hope was not held within that box. It was the spirits of every evil. The one that Pandora managed to trap was the one that would have destroyed mankind. What was trapped was not Hope, but the embodiment of Despair, the thing that would have destroyed even the _possibility_ of Hope entirely. Thus, Hope itself was left free."

"We found it, Mom. We found Pandora. It took _years_, and the last six of those years we only had each other, and the Black Organization was right behind us. We got it and we got gunned down."

Shinichi closed his eyes, "Kaito died first, if barely. Snake put an extra two bullets in me after that, despite the lung-shot that I was already dying from—and Pandora was drenched in _both_ our blood. I remember wishing that it hadn't happened that way, that somehow things could be different—and then I woke up, in a house that had been burned to the ground four years after I'd first stumbled into this mess. Eighteen years gone, just like that."

"Same here, more-or-less. I was _terrified_ that somehow Shinichi had pulled one of his 'I'm a mad genius' stunts to give me a second chance and died doing it and that I'd be _alone_. Then he sent that bold-text exclamation point and the world snapped back into place." Kaito huffed, "Honestly, the marriage is—well, even if 'romance' was never really part of the show, Shinichi's still the most important person in my life. Seventeen years since we started that ridiculous rivalry after I disguised as a female friend of his and he shattered a cruise-ship engine-room phone with a _soccer ball_ from ten meters."

"Fifteen since we started working together, knowing all the facts," Shinichi murmured in return. "Fourteen since we'd had to run, and _keep_ running. Six since we couldn't stay in one place long enough to make attachments. Six years with only one constant in life kind-of precludes any possibility for outside relationships."

"And bonds forged in that kind of fire aren't easily broken," Kaito finished. "Romance was never really something we had time for, but Shinichi was—_is_—my life."

"True enough," Shinichi admitted. "We may not be 'in love' but I can't—can't face this without him. And… we have a head start, this time. Together, we can _win._"

Jii was speechless, Chikage only somewhat less so. "Well," the woman managed after another few seconds, "So. Marriage is just a formality, then?"

Kaito snorted, a smile quirking his lips. Yeah. They could do this. This time they even had _backup,_ going by the growing determination on his mother's face_._

_xxxx_


	4. Chapter 3

**_._**

**_Chapter 3_**

"So what do we do about _that_, anyway?" Kaito mused on their way to school the next morning.

"Hm? Oh, well, nothing for the moment. Next school break, we can see about going on vacation, though."

Ah, of course. And on the off chance of directional microphones… "That sounds nice... I know how much you love mountains. Head to Canada and call it a honeymoon?"

Shinichi shoved his shoulder, "Why would _we_ need a honeymoon?"

Kaito grinned, waving as Aoko stopped to wait for them a few meters ahead, "Well, we _are_ newlyweds! Take advantage of expected vacation-time!"

Shinichi paused, "You might have a point with that one. It'd be nice to get away for a while and the mountains in Canada _are_ supposed to be really beautiful…"

"Hey, Kaito, Kudo-kun! How are you two this morning?"

"Not too bad," Kaito grinned, "We didn't get mauled by Shin-chan's you last night, anyway, although that might have been the shock-value."

"Be ready to dodge next time," Shinichi stated dryly.

"Man, that girl breaks concrete with her fists! She's scarier than _Aoko_ when she's mad!"

Shinichi glanced at the girl walking beside them, "Hm, well, I don't know… I haven't seen Aoko-san angry. Irritated, yes, but not _angry._"

Kaito skipped a half-step back to look at the scowling-but-amused expression on his childhood friend's face and conceded with a soft "Huh. Point."

"'Point'?" Aoko asked, frowning.

"As in 'Shinichi has one'," Kaito explained. "I don't think I've seen you really mad, either. That's probably a good thing."

"Keep peeking in the girls' locker room and I can make sure you manage," Aoko threatened, only half teasing.

Shinichi cast a sharp glare at the suddenly backpedaling magician, "Kaito…"

"I won't do it again! I swear! I'll never _ever_ do anything like that ever again!"

Aoko smirked, pleased by that response even if she hadn't been the one to elicit it. "We'll see how long that lasts."

"It'll last for the rest of his life if he doesn't want to find out what I can do about it," Shinichi muttered, sotto-voice.

Kaito sweatdropped, "Heh, uh, I'm okay with '_not_'."

_xxxx_

Hakuba was finding the interaction between his Kaitou Kid suspect and the Great Detective of the East very interesting, if a bit unnerving. He hadn't really believed the two were married despite the declaration the day before, but a quick check with local records stated that—as of less than forty minutes before school the previous day—the two _had_ been dumped into an unexpected arraigned marriage.

All things considered, they seemed to be taking it fairly well… and Kudo _was_ frighteningly good at keeping Kuroba in check. Certainly, there were some pranks, but nothing big or mentally traumatizing. The relative peace was what Hakuba found most nerve-wracking. Kuroba didn't handle 'peace' well, and sooner or later, the crazy magician was going to go on a rampage.

He'd barely had time to think that before an explosion of rainbow smoke clouded the magician's desk and Kuroba emerged from the smoke cloud coughing and looking distinctly more colorful himself.

"Shinichi!" came the immediate complaint, "Will you _stop_ pre-empting my pranks!?"

The Detective of the East twisted in his seat, raising an eyebrow. "Kaito, I may not have your talent for _setting up_ those kinds of stunts, but you should be well aware of how good I am at _redirecting_ them."

"Yeah, but why do you keep redirecting them at _me?_"

The entire class (including teacher) were watching this exchange with wide-eyed awe.

"Because it's class and you're distracting me."

Kuroba's jaw worked for a moment before he suddenly deflated, "Right. Sorry. I'll save it for breaks, then."

Kudo nodded once, apparently satisfied.

(To the collective relief of everyone else in the classroom, Kuroba actually held to that announcement, only redecorating the room and/or his classmates between classes instead of during_._ Perhaps the magician's assentation about Kudo keeping him in line had actually been sincerely meant.)

_xxxx_

Hakuba paused, shifting his attention to where Kuroba was making a remarkably prank-free fuss near the end of lunch.

"_Please?_" the magician was hanging off Kudo's arm, puppy-eyes on full blast.

"_No_, Kaito," Kudo sounded a bit raspy, "You can go if you want, but _I_ am going to bed early. I think I'm coming down with something."

Kuroba frowned, looking faintly concerned, "Oh, ano… if you're getting sick, shouldn't I stay with you?"

Kudo smirked teasingly, "Taking your duties as a married man seriously? Nah, I know how much of a fangirl you are and I'm just going to sleep anyway. If it makes you feel better, though, I can stay at your place. Chi-san's not leaving again until late tomorrow and she mothers me more than my _own_ mother."

Kuroba considered that, not taking offense at the 'fangirl' comment, "Good point. But…"

"You'll be unable to sit still and I'll end up drop-kicking something at your head."

A wince, "Also a good point. All right, then. I'll just… go to the heist."

Kudo smirked a bit, "Why don't you hang out with Hakuba for it? He's staring at us."

Hakuba blinked, caught, but Kuroba's reaction was enough to keep him from looking away.

"But-but-but—he keeps saying _I'm_ Kid! He's a jerk! I don't _want_ to hang out with him for a heist!"

Kudo's smirk turned just a little smug, "Well, then, here's your chance to prove him wrong. Have fun!"

"Evil," Kuroba grumbled, "You are, that is. _Evil_."

Kudo seemed amused by that declaration, but when he took a breath to respond he ended up coughing, covering his mouth with a hand and staggering a step.

Kuroba jerked around, all teasing gone as he caught Kudo by the shoulders, and the magician went _white_ when Kudo's hand dropped from his mouth to his chest, his face twisted in a grimace.

"Oi, Shinichi! Are you sure it's just a cold? You're not… are you?"

"Ba'arou*," Kudo panted, straightening as he caught his breath, "Been _years_ since that was a problem and you know it. Just aches a bit; the coughing didn't help."

"I'm taking you home," Kuroba stated, an edge in his tone that Hakuba hadn't heard before, "Aoko, will you get the assignments for the rest of the day?"

Nakamori-san blinked, pausing in the doorway, clearly not having expected to be addressed right as she walked into the classroom. "Ano… why?"

Kuroba shifted, sliding himself into a much more physically supporting stance, one arm wrapped around Kudo's waist while Kudo's arm was looped over his shoulders, "I'm taking Shinichi home. He's trying to fake being fine like he always does, but…" a subtle head-jerk indicated the amount of weight Kudo was leaning against him.

"Oh, ano, sure, Aoko could get your assignments. Don't forget to check out at the office."

Kuroba was gone, half-carrying Kudo, and suddenly Hakuba figured out what the edge had been.

_Fear._

_xxxx_

"If you hadn't signed out 'play along' I would have had a _heart attack_ back there, thank you, Shinichi."

"I know," Shinichi glanced over apologetically, "I was giving you an unspoken but valid excuse to not be at the heist. And I really _am_ coming down with something—the cough wasn't fake, but so far it's only my throat that hurts. Still, I haven't been poisoned. That's not going to happen." Even after—or, rather, _especially_ after—the antidote, even a cold had to be watched carefully if he didn't want to die. After hospitals were no longer an option and Haibara had died when the lab had been razed… well, there had been more than a few close calls. The last had been _very_ close.

Kaito grimaced at the reminder, "I'll make this one really flashy, then. And try to be reasonably quick."

Shinichi granted him a wry smile, "Chi-san _is_ in town. She'd keep an eye on me if it'd make you feel better."

"It really, _really_ would."

_xxxx_

"Kaito didn't come," Nakamori-san observed aloud, slightly disappointed as the heist-goers began to disperse.

"I'm not surprised," Hakuba informed her. Working under his usual assumption of 'Kuroba is Kid', he wouldn't have been surprised anyway—but Kuroba had been _genuinely_ scared when Kudo had started coughing. So, even working under the less believable 'Kuroba is telling the truth and is not Kid' theory, he still couldn't be surprised.

"Oh? Why not?" Momoi-san asked from Nakamori-san's other side.

"He was worried, earlier," Hakuba informed.

"Aoko's going to call him, then!" Nakamori-san stated, pulling out her phone.

"_Aoko, why are you calling so late?_" Kuroba's voice practically exploded from the receiver, nearly causing the girl to drop it. "_If it's not important, can we talk some other time? Shinichi's… not doing so well._"

"Itai…" Aoko grumbled, rubbing at her ear and looking down at the screen, "Oh, it's on speaker… Wait, Kudo-kun isn't well?"

"_Look, Aoko, his fever's started getting _bad_. I'll talk to you tomorrow._" The line clicked.

Nakamori-san stared at her phone for a few more seconds, "Aoko's never had Kaito be so short with her before."

Hakuba eyed the phone speculatively, trying to convince himself he wasn't worried at the stress that had echoed in Kuroba's voice.

_xxxx_

Kaito looked back at Shinichi, frowning. It didn't make _sense_—the detective had never been poisoned. Granted, this wasn't nearly as quick of an onset as post-antidote fevers had been, but it was a steady temperature climb that was just as nerve-wracking for lack of explanation.

"Mom? How long as he been out?"

"About an hour," Chikage replied from the doorway, "Why?"

Kaito bit his lip, "Can you grab a thermometer? It's… I'm getting worried."

He barely heard his mother's acknowledgement as he placed his hand on Shinichi's forehead, frowning at the heat. "Come on, Shin-chan," he murmured, "You promised, right?"

Thermometer check and Kaito swallowed, "Mom? Call an ambulance."

_xxxx_

_*Ba'arou [baka-arou] is something along the lines of 'idiot'. Shinichi/Conan both contracts it (skipping the 'ka' sound) and uses it semi-frequently in-series._


	5. Chapter 4

.

**_Chapter 4_**

"Kuroba Kaito?" Doctor, clipboard, serious but not tense. Good sign, for all that the amount of time that had elapsed was _not_. Kaito had already sent his mother home—she'd been tired.

"Yes?" Kaito was across the room before the doctor could figure out where the initial answer had come from and the man jumped at the sudden appearance of a teen that looked scarily similar to the one in the hospital bed.

"I'm Dr. Yosuke. Your husband is out of immediate danger; we have a regimen of fever-reducers in the IV and it looks like it's just a really nasty flu. It's been going around, although most of the more serious cases have been in Beika so far. He's not the first to have been hospitalized from what Beika General has to say, and the other cases have cleared up enough for home-care within a few days."

Kaito closed his eyes, relieved. "May I see him?"

"Certainly; this way," the doctor began to lead him through brightly-lit hallways as he continued, "Considering his status as a well-known homicide detective, we've placed him in a private room where we can monitor who visits. As he is currently unable to state preferences and you are his husband, do you have anyone you'd like to restrict from visiting?"

"Pretty much everyone," Kaito admitted. "I'll make a list of people who I know are safe, but you're right in thinking there are those who'd take advantage if they hear he's in the hospital. It wouldn't be the first time someone's tried to slip something in an IV."

The doctor grimaced, "Right. Of course. This is his room; stay as long as you need."

Kaito nodded, "Thank you, Yosuke-sensei."

The doctor gave a polite bow and turned away, leaving Kaito with the steady beep of a heart monitor and Shinichi's soft breathing. Kaito dropped down into the visitor's chair and leaned against the bed, suddenly grateful that marriage meant 'closest legal family' and therefore no tricks needed to get in the room and he could help keep Shinichi safe just by saying something to the hospital staff.

"Get better soon, Shin-chan," he murmured to the sleeping detective. "I can't handle another scare like that."

_xxxx_

Nakamori frowned down at her phone, glaring as though somehow that would make the person she was calling answer.

"Aoko? What's up?" Momoi asked, watching the other girl's expression warily.

At his own desk, Hakuba glanced up.

"Kaito's phone is off and he and Kudo-kun aren't here, yet. I'm going to call Chikage-san," suiting her words, she dialed her phone and waited a few moments, before brightening a bit, "Ano, Chikage-san? Do you know where Kaito is?"

A pause, "The hospital? But—is Kudo-kun going to be all right?"

Hakuba was not the only one to snap to attention, startled and suddenly worried.

"Hai, all right, I can do that. I hope Kudo-kun gets better soon."

As soon as Nakamori hung up, Momoi grabbed her hand, "What about the hospital and Kudo-kun?"

"Kudo-kun's fever got very bad last night. They had to call an ambulance before I even got back from the heist. The doctors say he'll recover, but it may be a few days before he can go home. Kaito's still at the hospital right now."

So, Kuroba had actually had cause to be concerned. Hakuba re-ran the previous night's heist and frowned; Kid had seemed just as cheerful as usual, pulling out some tricks that _had_ to take focus. Kuroba had been tense and distracted on the phone… _could_ he be Kid? Could Kid have been distracted and _still_ have pulled off those kinds of high-class stunts?

Logic said 'probably not'. Could Kuroba actually be _telling the truth?_

_xxxx_

The beeping slowly filtered through his consciousness and eventually he opened his eyes—then winced them back shut again, the brightness searing against a headache he hadn't realized he'd had until he aggravated it.

"Shinichi?" Voice. Familiar, carefully soft.

"Kai-" his return rasp devolved into a rough cough that turned the full-body ache into jolting pain and made his throat _burn_ while his headache ratcheted up to 'blinding'.

"Easy, _easy_, Shin-chan," gentle hands pressing briefly on his shoulders, warning against movement more than actually restraining before one moved to his forehead and the other settled over his heart.

_Cool_, Shinichi noted absently, turning his head into the press of Kaito's palm.

"Does that help?" Kaito asked, still soft.

Shinichi managed a weak huff.

"Doctor's here," Kaito murmured against footsteps halting nearby, "Damn it, Shinichi, you scared me. You're not supposed to get sick."

Admission of fear—huh. Had to be bad, but Shinichi had already figured out his throat wasn't going to be cooperating enough to let him respond verbally.

Apparently Kaito could see that, "How bad's the pain?" he asked, a lightly varying tapping on his wrist adding subtext, 'Sign'.

Shinichi considered the question, weighed the prospect of painkillers for honesty against the increased worry that would inflict on Kaito, and averaged it out instead of naming highest. 'Six' he tapped on the mattress.

Kaito grumbled wordlessly and the hand on his chest was withdrawn, the shifting angle of the other on his forehead indicating Kaito turning to the doctor. "Yosuke-sensei."

"He's awake?"

"Tried opening his eyes and immediately decided it was a bad idea," Kaito confirmed. "Can't talk, but he's coherent enough to sign. _Claims_ his pain-level is around six, but that probably means at least seven considering he hates admitting it."

"Full-body or localized?" the doctor was apparently going to take Kaito's word for that.

_Huh_, Shinichi mused. _A smart one._

"You heard the man," Kaito prompted, "No obfuscating. Give us a straight answer."

'Full-body muscle ache, four,' Shinichi forced his right hand to reply, 'Joint-pain, five.' A slight pause, then a grudging, 'Throat, six—burning; head, nine. Hot.'

Kaito relayed the information, adding a worried, "The last time he said 'nine' for a migraine, he passed out when he tried to move."

The doctor moved around the bed, "Considering the fever you still have, feeling overheated is only to be expected. As for the 'nine'… I'll add a dose of morphine to your IV while I check on the fever-reducers. If Kuroba-san can keep you conscious for a bit longer after that, some ice-chips might help your throat."

'Can't swallow,' Shinichi informed, 'Feels swollen.' A pause, then an afterthought, 'Don't like morphine; makes it hard to think.'

After the dutiful translation via handy husband, the doctor stepped back around the bed. "Considering the fever, adding in morphine should just knock you out and you shouldn't be trying to think with a migraine, anyway. You need to rest if you want to heal," he clicked on a penlight, "Open your mouth for a moment—yes, I can see the irritation even without a tongue-depressor. I'll do a culture and check for strep; your bloodwork came up positive for flu, but if you've compounded with a bacteria it could explain why the fever's so high."

Shinichi didn't bother to give the reply that flickered through his mind, letting Kaito's grumbled "_Lovely_," say it for him and tolerating the swipe of cotton against his burning throat.

He felt hazy and tired, the pain slinking far enough away to ignore.

Words buzzed into incoherent sound and the hand was back on his forehead, a familiar voice murmuring comfortingly. Shinichi slipped back into sleep.

_xxxx_

"Kuroba-san?" The nurse in the doorway waited for Kaito to turn and acknowledge her, "There is someone up front asking to see you. A Hakuba Saguru-san. Is it all right if we send him back here?"

"Him? Yeah, it's fine. I didn't bother putting him on the safe-list because I wasn't expecting him to care."

The nurse nodded and left again, and a few minutes later Hakuba showed up. Kaito decided to mostly ignore him when Shinichi stirred again, a soft sound dying in his throat.

"Hey, Shin-chan," he pitched his voice low and soothing, "Don't try to talk; it didn't work out too well the last time. How're you feeling?"

Hesitation, then Shinichi's right hand lifted slightly, fingers curling into a well-known sarcastic gesture.

Kaito huffed, "Take it the morphine's worn off, then?"

A second gesture ('mostly') and Kaito could _feel_ the burning Hakuba-curiosity behind him. "Better than earlier, at least?"

A tapped 'six'.

Given Shinichi's propensity to average… "So, not so much, then. You've got antibiotics added to the IV, by the way, and only _you_ could come down with strep on top of a flu-strain that's been putting people in Beika General."

'Who else?'

Kaito blinked, glanced over his shoulder at the still-silent visitor, and looked back at Shinichi. "How'd you know? He hasn't even _said_ anything, yet, and your eyes are still closed. Oh, and it's Hakuba."

'Detective.'

"You suck," Kaito informed.

'You say magic,' was the silent rebuttal.

"Magic is a valid answer."

'So is detective. W-why?'

Kaito frowned at the visual stutter, "You're slowing. Take it easy. Also, I don't know why Hakuba's here."

Behind him, the British detective took it upon himself to answer, "I was… _concerned._ You seemed worried yesterday, and with Kudo-san in the hospital…"

Kaito sighed, "What? You planning to accuse me of being Kid again? I don't have the energy to deal with you right now, Hakuba."

"I… no," Hakuba's answer actually got Kaito to twist around, "I did not mean to imply… I simply have never seen you upset before; I was concerned that this was… _serious_."

"It _is_ serious," Kaito turned back to the bed, hiding his expression, "Shinichi's fever topped out at 41.6* before they managed to bring it back down. He's still wavering between thirty-eight and forty even _with_ the reducers."

'I'll be fine,' was Shinichi's addition to the conversation.

"Maybe, Shin-chan, but I'm not leaving until you're actually _stable._"

Hakuba swallowed, the number '41.6' impacting with the true severity of the Detective of the East's situation the night before. No _wonder_ Kaito had skipped the heist, if Kudo's fever had been heading past forty. He felt like an intruder _and_ a callous jerk—it was a miracle Kudo was still _alive_. "I—get well soon, Kudo-san. Kuroba… I'll set aside some class notes."

Kaito turned, but Hakuba was already leaving. "Huh," the magician glanced back at Shinichi, "Did he just… almost _apologize_?"

'Sounds like,' Shinichi signed slowly.

Kaito huffed, "Go back to sleep. I want you to get better."

_xxxx_

"Shinichi isn't answering his phone…" Ran sighed, ending the call without leaving a message. "Maybe I should try the station?"

"Why do you want to talk to that detective geek, anyway?" Sonoko complained, "Didn't he run off with another woman?"

Ran facepalmed, groaning at the implication, "_No_. He got stuck in a no-warning arranged marriage to a childhood friend of his."

"I thought _you_ were his childhood friend," Sonoko grumbled.

"I'm his _female_ childhood friend," Ran acknowledged, "but apparently Yukiko-san managed to get drunk and got in contact with her old friend and the two of them ended up dropping their _sons_ into a marriage."

Sonoko blinked, then grinned and giggled, "Oh, poor tantei! How's he taking it?"

"I invited them over to dinner last night—the two of them were _eerie._ They look like twins!"

"And they're not related?"

Ran shook her head, "Nope. But Kaito-kun and Shinichi know each other well enough to fake being each other through schooldays. Kaito-kun admitted that they had a few times when Shinichi started getting too stressed. And, well, they didn't act 'in love' or anything, but they seem determined not to let getting married mess up their friendship."

Sonoko considered that, "So… you could still be Kudo's girlfriend, only you'd have to be this 'Kaito-kun's girlfriend, too?"

Ran blushed, sputtering, "No! _Sonoko!_ They're _married!_"

Sonoko grinned, "Just saying…"

"Sonoko…" Ran huffed, "I'm calling Megure-keibu to see if Shinichi got caught up in a case."

Sonoko grumbled, teasing thwarted for the moment, and five minutes later Ran was hanging up her phone, looking worried. "Shinichi hasn't been on a case, and I don't know who else to call…"

"You said he transferred to Ekoda High? Call the school; it'll only have gotten out an hour ago and there should still be people in the office."

"Good idea," Ran nodded firmly, making her way to the nearest payphone for a phonebook. "Ekoda, Ekoda… there it is!" she typed in the relevant number and waited, "Moshi, moshi? I'm looking for Kudo Shinichi and Kuroba Kaito, can you tell me if they were in class today?"

A pause, "What? Oh, no… all right, thank you."

"Ran?" Sonoko took in her friend's expression, "What is it?"

"Shinichi's in the hospital and Kaito-kun didn't go to school today."

Sonoko froze, chest tightening with sudden anxiety. Kudo was annoying, but the guy was still someone she knew and, considering his pastime/career, he probably had a few genuinely dangerous enemies. And she didn't want him to _die._ "Which hospital?"

"Ekoda's, I think," Ran said shakily. "I need to go."

"Ran, calm down," Sonoko stepped closer to her friend, taking her shoulders, "Deep breath. I'll come with you."

_xxxx_

_*41.6˚C is 107˚F. I actually _have_ had a fever that high, though they managed to bring it down quickly enough to prevent me dying. Some permanent damage involving migraines and a tendency towards lightheadedness and vision-blackout when standing. I had a bad case of flu and compounded with an equally bad case of strep and spent five days under heavy observation. I managed to sit at a steady 104.5˚F for over a day after the initial hospitalization (which had started when I was at 105-ish and I'm just lucky I was already there when it really spiked) before it started getting better, but if I tried to do anything but sleep it tended to spike again. Spent most of my time alternating between sleeping and hallucinating the first two days, though from what I was told, the 'hallucinations' manifested as extreme anxiety. I don't actually remember much of it until three days in, no help from the antibiotics I turned out to be mildly allergic to. I'm replaying what I was told and what I remember, just because I don't have much else to go on for illness-related hospital visits._

_xxxx_


	6. Chapter 5

.

**_Chapter 5_**

"Oi," Sonoko complained, putting her hands on her hips, "What do you mean, I'm not on 'the list'?"

"I'm sorry, miss," the receptionist _did_ look apologetic, "but considering that Kudo-san is a high-profile patient with a record of having sent quite a few people to jail, it's safer if we restrict visitors to people he knows personally. As he has been unable to speak for himself, his husband provided a list of names of those he was certain were safe visitors."

"'Unable to speak for himself?'" Ran repeated, alarmed, "How bad is it?"

"Well… you're not authorized for a medical report, but I _can_ say the main reason he's been unable to speak is throat irritation and that he's out of immediate danger. Oh, and—one moment, please, Mouri-san. Kasumi-chan?"

A passing nurse paused and turned to face the receptionist, "Hai?"

"Are you on your way to give Kudo-san his medication?"

"Hai," the nurse nodded.

"Good. Will you please escort Mouri-san? She's here to visit. Her friend, Suzuki-san, is not on the list, but as Kuroba-san was quite stressed when he wrote it, it is possible that was an oversight. While you're there, will you ask?"

The nurse smiled, "Of course. This way, please, Mouri-san. Kudo-san has been in and out of consciousness, but Kuroba-kun could use the company either way. Poor boy is exhausting himself."

_xxxx_

Kaito blinked at the nurse for a moment, shaking off his lethargy. _Damn,_ he was tired. "Ah, Suzuki Sonoko? I should've known if Ran-chan showed, Sonoko-san wouldn't be far behind. I'd rather not have her show up on her _own_—she irritates Shinichi—but if Ran's here too it shouldn't be a problem. Send her up."

The nurse smiled, hooking the next round of antibiotics and reducers to the IV and double-checking Shinichi's temperature. Still hovering around 39˚, and Kaito had to admit he didn't want to know what it would be _without_ the medication. "Well, looks like he's set for now. Kuroba-kun*, you should really think about taking a break. Grab something from the cafeteria, at least."

Kaito grimaced, "Yeah, I know. I just—don't think it's a good idea to leave him alone. He may be coherent when he's awake, but he still can't talk and his fever's high enough that he's way more anxious than he should be… and, well, Ran-chan? You _know_ what his luck is like. He's still half expecting a body to drop from the sky; it's been half a week."

Ran winced, "You… have a point, there. I could stay with him until you get back?"

"Thanks. Just—he's been waking up pretty frequently, I'd like to let him know I'm going out for a bit. He might start signing again, and if he doesn't get a response…"

"Signing?" Ran asked as the nurse excused herself and left.

"Yeah, we worked out a sign-code years ago. You can get more across with both hands, but half-signs are understandable."

"Ano… _why?_"

Kaito grinned, "Why else? His dad's a mystery novelist and we were young."

Ran smiled, "Yuusaku-san would get a kick out of something like that, yeah."

Yeah, Shinichi's dad probably would have, if they'd really done it as children. Now… well, since Yuusaku'd be able to tell the reason behind it, it was a lot less likely to seem 'cute'.

"Oi, y-you! You—must be Kuroba-san," Sonoko hesitated in the door, taken aback, "Um, _wow_, Ran wasn't kidding, you _do_ look like Kudo-kun."

"Ah, heh… yeah. I know, and… Hold up," Kaito turned back to the bed as Shinichi tapped the metal rail with a hollow 'tong'. "Take it you're awake again?"

Shinichi flicked his fingers irritably.

"Yeah, okay. Mind if I leave you with these two while I go grab something to eat? Ran-chan promised she'd stay 'till I get back."

Ran and Sonoko peeked around Kaito to look at the bed, noticing Shinichi's eyes were closed and he hadn't even _tried_ to speak. His fingers moved, slow and somewhat clumsy.

"Okay, okay, I'm going. I'll be back in a while—sorry, but you're probably going to have to suffer through girl-talk, since you're going to be officially out of the conversation."

The next set of movements was slightly sharper.

Kaito snickered, "Aw, I love you, too."

Shinichi's return gesture was significantly less cryptic than the sign-code he'd been using, and significantly less polite, too.

_xxxx_

Shinichi was starting to regret that he couldn't talk, because Sonoko was about as annoying as a starving mosquito swarm at the best of times and he couldn't even tell her to be quiet. Considering opening his eyes tended to make the pain in his skull spike dramatically, he couldn't even _glare_ at her. The grating pitch of her voice was bad enough.

"_Nani?_" And there was Sonoko's voice again, gossipy and gleeful, causing his head to throb sickeningly.

Shinichi managed a short sound, but that turned out to be a bad idea, as the slight vibration made it feel like he'd swallowed rusty knives. 'Kaito,' he signed.

A machine beeped and Ran's voice cut through Sonoko's, "Shinichi? Sonoko, hit the call button! His fever's getting worse!"

That explained a lot, Shinichi realized distantly, fingers flicking through an aimless plea. Kaito didn't respond—no, Kaito wasn't here, was he? He'd gone to… to… Ran was here. No, Ran couldn't be here; Ran was dead. Fire and blood and cracking gunshots, like Kaa-san and Tou-san and Agasa and Haibara.

Like Kaito.

No, no, _not_ like Kaito, because if Kaito was gone, Shinichi would have followed. He couldn't face this life alone, and Kaito was the only one he had left. Where was Kaito? Was he hurt? Trapped?

Shinichi's fingers curled again even as he tried to speak, his voice rasping into incomprehensibility.

_Kaito._

_xxxx_

"Damn it, Shinichi," Kaito murmured, fingers tapping a constant litany against the detective's palm and ignoring both the flurry of doctor-and-nurse and the Ran-and-Sonoko huddle in the corner, "Don't _do_ this."

Shinichi was semiconscious, he could tell that much if only by the fact that the fever-struck meitantei had calmed with Kaito's presence and calmed further with the constant, tapped monologue. "I need you to get better, you know. I really, really do." 'Don't give up, don't leave me, please, please, please.'

"There's nothing more we can do for the moment, Kuroba-san," Yosuke-sensei sighed wearily, "He's stable and we've pulled the antibiotics; it was an unfortunate reaction. I'll need to mark it in his file that he's got a mild allergy that first manifested about seven hours after we started the drip. We've swapped in an antihistamine that should keep him from reacting again, but we'll need to keep it up until the antibiotic works out of his system and find an alternative that he isn't allergic to."

Kaito breathed out, shakily relieved. Not _that,_ then, just a freak accident.

Or a series of them—Kaito's tentative relief morphed back into worry. Was this somehow Pandora's price? Was Pandora _trying_ to kill Shinichi—or was it just that it sapped his energy of then-and-now, leaving him more open to sickness? Or something else entirely?

Shinichi's hand twitched, curling around Kaito's fingers—Kaito's name-sign.

"I'm still here, Shin-chan," Kaito murmured, wiggling his own fingers in reply—he couldn't get a proper tap-code going through Shinichi's grasp—and hoping desperately that this really _was_ just freak happenstance.

Shinichi's fingers loosened, returning the assurance with tap instead of sign. 'Where?'

"Hospital," Kaito tapped 'safe' alongside the word, knowing Shinichi had to still be confused by virtue of a fever lingering around way-too-high. "What do you remember?"

Fingers shifted in response, 'Pieces. Jumbled. Past-then-now?'

"Something like that," Kaito murmured back, 'Pandora', he tapped.

'Past _is_ now. Not dreaming?'

"No, not dreaming. Pulled another 'deadly illness' stunt, though. I thought we were past this stage."

'Flu, strep?'

"Yeah, and the fever just about killed you. You spiked again an hour ago."

'Second? Why?'

"Reaction to the antibiotic. You're pumped full of antihistamine right now and they're looking through your older medical records in hopes of finding an alternative that's safe. I can't leave you for _twenty minutes_ without you suffering some life-threatening catastrophe."

A huffed breath, 'You balance curse, remember?'

"Yeah, I remember," Kaito sighed, fingers tapping out 'No one gets hurt.'

'Kid's rule. Bend _reality_.'

Kaito choked a half-laugh, "Thanks, Shin-chan. That's oddly comforting."

'Past… Aoko hasn't visited?'

Kaito blinked, glancing down at interlocked hands, noting the choppy sentences as indication of pain. "How do you _always_ know these things?"

'Detective.'

"_Not_ an explanation," the magician grumped, ignoring the two girls looking like they were trying to decide whether to interrupt the not-quite-one-sided conversation. "No, she hasn't. I think Akako roped her into some ridiculous girl's day out with Keiko and company. It's been planned for a week, and—well, if _Akako_ is involved, I don't even want to know."

'Discretion safer,' Shinichi agreed, 'Give Ran number, make Sonoko leave. Headache bad.'

Kaito winced, "Oh, damn, sorry—I should have thought of that. Ran-chan? You need my number and Shin-chan's just about asleep again. I'm going to kick you two out—also, be careful with get-well gifts. His immune system's _shot._"

"H-hai," Ran's voice sounded small and Kaito sighed, reaching over to swipe her phone as she approached.

"Look, I'll keep you posted. I'm the only available translator for the currently-mute detective in question, so I'm going to be sticking around. For now, though, you should probably head home. Get some rest."

"Ano… aa," Ran took her phone back, Kaito's number added to the list, "I… will you call me if he wakes up?"

"I'll text," Kaito smiled, a little wan, "He'll be all right. He was coherent, if a bit less verbose than usual. Considering the fever and the drugs in his system, that's already a good sign."

"He's right about that," Yosuke-sensei double-checked the settings on a machine with a temperature display, nodded, and jotted down a quick note. "This will set off an alarm at the nurse's station if his temperature rises again, or if it starts to drop too quickly or too far. I'll have a second bed brought in, Kuroba-san—I understand your reluctance to leave; and, all things considered, it's a better idea for you to be here, anyway."

"Mm," Kaito nodded, "Anyway, Ran-chan, you heard the doctor. Shin-chan's doing pretty well despite the scare. Go home; I'll let you know if anything else happens."

"Come on, Ran," Sonoko took Ran's arm and tugged her towards the door, "Let's get you home."

Kaito breathed out in quiet relief as the two left and shortly after the doctor also made his way out. Ten minutes later, two of the support staff rolled a second bed in. Kaito thanked them as they left, then maneuvered the bed close enough to Shinichi's to be easily woken if Shinichi stirred.

It had been a _very_ long day.

_xxxx_

Shinichi woke properly hours later, blinking at the darkened room. His eyes weren't—quite—focusing, but the steady breathing from nearby was familiar. Kaito, sleeping, and the blinking lights meant… hospital, right.

He turned his head carefully, wary of fever-soreness, and took a few minutes to coax protesting vision into cooperation. Second bed—that hadn't been there before, had it? He remembered some mention of 'private room' which meant single bed which in turn meant… very accommodating doctor.

Unusual. Then again, Kaito had been quietly terrified the last time he'd been aware, saying that the second fever-spike had nearly turned fatal. So, considering the state of his own throat, the doctor was probably counting on Kaito as a level-of-awareness monitor. Coherency was generally a good indication of health, and memory would be something else they'd want to check as soon as possible, which meant Kaito-as-translator was needed.

_Good._

Kaito was curled on his side, facing Shinichi's bed, and even in sleep he looked troubled.

Shinichi frowned and reached between safety-rail bars, slow and careful, until he could curl his fingers around the hand draped off the edge of Kaito's bed.

The furrow in Kaito's brow eased a bit and Shinichi sighed silently, settling to watch. He couldn't really do anything, but maybe Kaito would sleep a little easier knowing he wasn't alone. Here, _now_, they were still safe.

_xxxx_

Kaito blinked awake, immediately scanning the room in the pre-dawn twilight, looking for what had woken him. A twitch of movement against his fingers—Shinichi's hand.

'Sorry,' tapped against his wrist.

Kaito huffed, "Don't be. How long have you been awake?"

'Few minutes. Not sure. Eyes aren't focusing enough for the clock.'

Kaito sat up, bringing the clock into his own line-of-sight, then frowned. He glanced over at the thermometer readout. "Fever's still pretty high; it's not surprising you're having some trouble. That aside, how do you feel?"

'Sore. Tired. Throat's still bad, but headache's less.'

"Should I call a doctor? You seem more awake than the last few times; they probably have questions."

Shinichi grimaced, clearly not liking that idea. 'Fine.'

"The sooner you get cleared, the sooner we can leave," Kaito pointed out.

He got a halfhearted glare for that one, but Shinichi didn't comment when he reached over to press the call.

"Just get better," Kaito murmured, brushing sweat-damp hair back from Shinichi's forehead—a good sign, that. The detective's body had finally registered his temperature as 'too high' and was working on getting it down. Thank whatever gods or ancestors that looked kindly on crazy thief-and-detective groups.

(The Greek's Hermes probably would. Maybe that would balance out Pandora)

_xxxx_

_*I am aware that medical professionals such as doctors and nurses of the non-family variety would generally use the more formal '-san', but Kuroba Kaito strikes me as one of those who would be able to charm people into '-kun' fairly easily, even (or especially) when he was displaying worry. He'd have the nurses feeling bad for him and wanting to make him happy, or at least less unhappy._


	7. Chapter 6

_._

**_Chapter 6_**

"Kaito?" Aoko peeked in the door, uncharacteristically hesitant—probably about the fact that she hadn't visited the day before. Kaito decided not to mention that, as he was actually somewhat grateful he hadn't had to deal with her and the stress of Shinichi's unstable condition at the same time.

"Oh, Aoko!" The magician bounced off 'his' bed, smiling. He felt much better now that Shinichi's fever had broken, even if the detective's temperature was still a little higher than normal. "Hey! Ano…" he glanced up at the clock, "Are you not going to school?"

"Hai, I'm going, I just thought I should drop off yesterday's assignments and I made you a couple bento. Oh, I brought you a overnight bag, too," Aoko added, slinging the bag in question off her shoulder and presenting it to the magician.

"Um, thanks? How did you get in my house?" Because Aoko was really _not_ a phantom thief and anything shy of that was probably going to get stumped by the locks.

"Your mom dropped it off at my place last night before she had to leave, but I wasn't home. Otou-san gave it to me," Aoko glanced over at the clock on the wall, "Oh! I'm going to be late! Sorry, Kaito—I'll visit after school!"

"Uh, sure. See you later, then," Kaito waved as Aoko left, then glanced at the not-quite-sleeping Shinichi. "They'll probably let me use your shower. Should I pretty up a bit?"

Fingers flicked in a teasingly snide response as Shinichi cracked one eye open to smirk at him.

"Well, at least you're feeling better. I'll be quick."

_xxxx_

"Ooooh, homework! How _exciting_," Kaito shook damp hair out of his eyes and flipped a textbook up in the air repeatedly in single-item one-handed juggling act.

A crumpled piece of paper hit Kaito in the head.

"Oh, come on," Kaito dropped the book on a nearby chair and presented Shinichi with a white chrysanthemum from literally _nowhere_, "Let me have some fun!"

Shinichi accepted the peace offering without bothering to question where it had come from, amused by the floral reiteration of Kaito's choice for Shinichi's name-sign. 'I'd offer you lavender* if I had any.'

"Is that a 'Yes, Kaito, you can practice'?"

'Only if you don't mess up my writing.'

_xxxx_

'I should have laid down a few more rules,' Shinichi tapped against the railing, more amused than irritated.

As per Kaito's personality combined with some magician's tricks, the room no longer looked like it belonged in a hospital, barring a little island of 'safe-zone' meant to preserve the integrity of hospital equipment.

Kaito would never risk an innocent's health. He no longer went out of his way to protect people trying to kill either of them; but if they weren't homicidal enemies, they were on Kaito's 'keep safe' list. Shinichi just happened to be at the top of that list.

"Oh, my!"

Shinichi glanced over at the half-open door and the startled nurse staring through it. He offered a resigned wave, not bothering to try and mime an explanation.

Kaito was much less resigned, "Morning, nurse-san! Don't worry, I didn't do anything to the machines and nothing will leave any marks."

The nurse apparently decided to either take him at his word or have a minor freak-out elsewhere after handling the scheduled medicine-and-vitals check. "Well, we're seeing some steady improvement, here, Kudo-san," she informed, rather than dismissing the current mute as most people tended to do. "We're lowering the dose of fever-reducers, so make sure to let Kuroba-san know if you start feeling lightheaded or dizzy. What's your current pain-level?"

Kaito practically teleported to the side of the bed, eyes attentively on Shinichi's hands.

'That's creepy, Kaito,' Shinichi informed before moving on to the nurse's question, 'Four, head at five and getting better.'

"Well, that's an improvement. You have already expressed a dislike of certain painkillers from what I've heard, but I could give you some hydrocodone if you think you can handle swallowing."

Shinichi shook his head, 'Unnecessary,' he signed. 'I dislike the soporific effect stronger painkillers have on me and my pain-level has been dropping steadily since earlier this morning.'

Kaito grinned as he provided translation, "And we're back to properly eloquent Shinichi!"

'Ridiculous magpie,' Shinichi shot back.

Kaito looked affronted, "I'm not a _magpie!_"

'You. Shiny things. What do these add up to?'

"I _like_ shiny things."

The nurse giggled, "Well, you're all set for now, Kudo-san," she informed, going back to ignoring the stir-crazy magician, "If you feel up to trying to eat, I could send up a tray."

'Please,' Shinichi signed back, Kaito falling obediently into his role as translator, 'My throat feels enough better that hot liquid might help.'

"Herbal tea and soup, then, and I'll make sure there's enough for your husband to steal some, hm?"

Shinichi smiled at her as she waved cheerfully and turned away. The detective cast Kaito a sidelong glance, 'See? Even she pegs you for a thief.'

"Not _fair,_" Kaito pouted.

_xxxx_

"Whew," Kaito flung himself back on 'his' bed in a theatrical sprawl, the room having been toned down from 'Technicolor explosion' to 'brightly decorated'. "Aaaand that's school assignments out of the way."

Shinichi snorted, considered the direction Kaito's eyes were facing, and tapped against the metal railing of the bed he was confined to. 'Until Aoko or Hakuba get here with today's. I give it half an hour at most before one or both show up.'

"Did you have to break my beautiful bubble of homework-completion satisfaction?" Kaito complained to the ceiling.

'Yes.'

"You suck."

'Love you, too,' Shinichi tapped back, smirking at his own patch of ceiling.

"_And_ you fight dirty_._"

Shinichi huffed out a soundless laugh.

_xxxx_

Hakuba sighed, sliding the last of his schoolbooks into his bag and slinging it over his shoulder before heading towards the door.

"Ano… Hakuba-kun?"

"Ah, yes? What is it, Nakamori-san?"

"Are you going to the hospital?"

Hakuba nodded slightly.

"Then… will you take these to Kaito and Kudo-kun? I can't visit them until tonight."

A quick glance identified the sheaf of papers as that day's work and another moment to flip through them proved that Hakuba's own notes would compliment the stack. "Sure, I was just going to drop off my notes, anyway. This might even keep Kuroba on task for a while."

Nakamori-san laughed a bit, "Ah, maybe_…_"

Hakuba nodded to her, privately agreeing with the obvious doubt, and slid the sheaf of papers into his bag between two of his textbooks to keep them flat. "I'll deliver these."

"Thanks, Hakuba-kun," Nakamori-san smiled. "See you tomorrow!"

Hakuba shook his head and left the classroom, considered distance against time, and decided to take the bus. Ten minutes later, he was walking into Kudo's (and apparently Kuroba's, considering the unexpected second bed) hospital room.

Kudo was propped up by the raised back of his bed and two extra pillows, watching Kuroba put on a small-scale magic show with the sort of resigned indulgence one usually gave to a child's repeated trick. He raised a hand in greeting.

Kuroba turned to glance at the door, grinning, "Oh, hey, Hakuba."

A rhythmic sequence of taps against hollow metal—a glance showed it was the hospital bed's safety rail—and Kuroba huffed a short laugh, "Yeah, yeah, you're _always_ right."

Some kind of code? Not just hand-signs, then, and why would two high-school students have such codes? The sign language wasn't a standard, and Hakuba had his doubts to the tap-code being anything recognized, either.

A sharper set of taps, short, and Kuroba glanced over at his bed-bound husband (and how strange was _that?_). As soon as Kuroba was facing him, Shinichi's hands flickered through a set of surprisingly intricate movements, similar but different from the single-handed signs he'd fumbled through the day before.

Kuroba winced, "Yeah. Sorry. Look, just… you know what? Not with Hakuba here, this is too…"

Another gesture, apparently agreement, followed by something more complex.

"Right, good point," Kuroba turned to face him, smiling politely. "Why _are_ you here, Hakuba? Shin-chan thinks the notes are an excuse for curiosity."

Hakuba blinked at being caught, "Nakamori-san asked me to drop off your assignments," he informed as a diversion, pulling out the papers and the folder which held the copy of his own notes.

"Oh, your notes, too?" Kuroba flipped through the folder, apparently fascinated. "I feel special. You actually _did_ bring me notes."

"I brought _Kudo-san_ notes," Hakuba corrected. "Call it professional courtesy."

"That was a veiled insult, wasn't it?"

Three quick tap-sequences had Kuroba sputtering and flailing his arms and Hakuba frowned. This wasn't some clumsily-made sound-code or hiragana spell-out like English Morse Code. This was a _language,_ one that both Kudo and Kuroba knew well enough to interpret as easily as Japanese.

The signs were the same way, and—Kuroba was sputtering out denials in Japanese while one of his hands had fingers repositioning sequentially and a foot tapped out sound against vinyl flooring.

That made no _sense._ Combining three languages—and, yes, the tapping was interspersed between words and the finger-motions were intermittent.

Kudo snapped to attention, eyes sharper than tempered steel as they cut across the room and a single tap was followed by a quick set of movements that had Kuroba's theatrics come to an abrupt end, eyes the exact shade and sharpness of Kudo's freezing the British detective in place.

Soft sound, rhythmic and varying all at once.

Kuroba sighed, "Not here. We need—but Hakuba will get involved now that he's noticed something."

More tapped sound, then Kuroba again, "No, you're right, we can't have him running blind. Hakuba, I'll contact you when Shinichi's out of the hospital, and we'll have a… story session."

Hakuba blinked.

"What? I may think you're annoying, but I don't want you _dead,_" Kuroba scowled at him for a moment before adding a concession, "Just occasionally brightly colored."

Hakuba was still trying to figure out what was going on when Kuroba herded him out of the room.

_xxxx_

_*Lavender's main meanings are serenity, grace, and calm. There is a much less-used meaning of distrust. I'm envisioning Shinichi being snarky and implying a lack of trust in Kaito's good behavior as well as an admonition to _get_ some calm/serenity/grace. White chrysanthemums represent truth or truthfulness._


	8. Chapter 7

_._

**_Chapter 7_**

Three days later, Shinichi was discharged from the hospital and Kaito took him home. "Well, five days in the hospital and still sick, Shin-chan. Let's get you settled… do you want me to stay today?"

Shinichi shook his head, fingers flicking a reply, 'I'll be fine. Catch the afternoon classes and set up that meeting with Hakuba. I've got my phone and you're on speed-dial.'

Kaito smiled, relieved. If Shinichi was pulling his usual combination of 'I'm fine' and 'I'll keep in contact', he probably really _was_ fine. Or, well, not _fine_, but well enough to get by for a few hours on his own.

"Right, right. See you after school, then—I'll probably be a little late; I'll need to get some groceries."

Shinichi paused, frowned, and turned to the painting of Toichi on stage, activating the hidden switch and going into the workshop.

Kaito was left blinking at the painting of Kaito Kid the First, wondering what on earth Shinichi was up to. He made an aborted movement to follow, then huffed as Shinichi thumped a pattern against the wall. "Fine, fine, I'm waiting," he called back.

Three minutes later, Shinichi was back and pressing a few of the less obvious and more stunning of the older Kid-tools into his hands (stunning was a very _literal_ description). 'Just in case,' he signed.

"Huh. Okay, yeah, good idea," of course, considering the point in time, it probably wouldn't be needed, but better safe than sorry. "All right, you good for now? It's still early; I can run to the store and grab some juice or something before heading to school for the afternoon."

Shinichi nodded slightly, 'Good idea. I'll be in your room. Probably sleeping.'

"Eh, sleep all you need to. You can't go to school for another couple days, anyway, and I'll bring a dove-cam. I can record the lessons on my computer for when you feel up to them."

'Not micro,' Shinichi warned, 'Normal—let the teacher know and bring a radio so I can ask questions when I'm awake enough during class.'

Kaito pouted, "You want me to be _above-board_ with it!?"

The look was more eloquent than language could ever be.

"Right. Point. Do _not_ need to be flaunting certain high-tech gear near general public as a civilian."

A slight quirk of lips and a wryly inclined head were his answer.

"I'll be back in fifteen minutes, give or take five," Kaito tugged his shoes back on, "Go on and get settled; I'll check in with you before I head to school."

_xxxx_

Kaito forwent the traditional 'tadaima' when he got back, knowing that if Shinichi were awake, he'd acknowledge either way. He didn't want to wake his detective (and there went Kid-style possessiveness again) if he'd actually fallen asleep.

He put the onigiri he'd bought on a plate and covered them with plastic wrap before pouring a glass of the orange juice and placing the carton in the refrigerator. The acid would probably sting Shinichi's throat a bit, but the crazy tantei would prefer it over something sweeter anyway. He tipped Shinichi's afternoon antibiotic pill into a teacup and set the whole collection on the smallest of the carry-trays.

Absently, he noted that this felt much more domestic than similar situations in hideouts in varying stages of disrepair ever had as he made his way up the stairs to his own room and—yes, Shinichi was curled under the covers on his bed, the steady rise and fall of his chest a good indicator of genuine sleep.

Kaito smiled to himself and slid the tray quietly onto the nightstand, pushing the clock aside, before making his way over to his desk and starting to set up his small (for a civilian brand) video camera. Link it to his phone for internet and set up the computer properly, and suddenly he had a portable private web-cam. Another few commands and the computer would automatically record when the camera was turned on.

All set, except for—there it was. Sticky-pad, pen, and he attached a note to the plastic over the onigiri before running a quick check to make sure the windows were locked upstairs as well as down (that was the thing with living in a house of professional thieves; all the locks were _good_ ones, especially on the windows).

Satisfied, Kaito slipped on his shoes and left, locking the front behind him. He had just enough time to get to school to catch the after-lunch classes.

_xxxx_

"K-kaito!"

Hakuba glanced up from where he was closing his bento-box and sighed to cover his relief, "Oh, Kuroba's back. There goes the peace."

"Hey, Aoko!" Kuroba greeted his friend with a smile several shades less gleeful than usual, "And Hakuba," he added as an afterthought.

"Ano, are you all right, Kaito?" Nakamori-san asked hesitantly, looking over her friend carefully.

_Hm_. Hakuba directed more of his own attention to the magician, taking in his stance as well as his expression. Kuroba wasn't bouncing, his shoulders were just a little bit slumped, and his head was tilted down like he couldn't quite spare the energy to keep it up. The smile had already vanished into a look that Hakuba wasn't sure about—not 'worry', exactly, but something else.

Kuroba sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face, "Just tired," he assured, subdued in a way that made little alarm bells ring in the back of Hakuba's head. "It's been a _long_ five days. Shinichi's well enough that I can leave him alone for a few hours, but…"

_But you don't want to_, Hakuba realized, blinking. Not 'worry' so much as 'uneasy reluctance', but Kuroba didn't want to be in class. Well, he had to concede that Kuroba never _wanted_ to be in class, but this wasn't the usual 'anywhere else' boredom-induced desire to leave, this was… this was something he hadn't seen on anyone who didn't feel that they and theirs were _hunted._ The kind of unease that people being stalked by a killer generally exhibited.

The British detective frowned. This was… he didn't even _know_ what this was, aside from 'incomprehensible'.

"Oi, Hakuba!" Kuroba was waving a hand in front of his face. Was he really so obvious in his distraction?

"Hello, Kuroba," Hakuba replied drily.

"Hey, sorry, I left that book you lent to Shinichi at home. Do you have time to stop by after school?"

Book? He hadn't leant out a—it clicked. _'He'll get involved now that he's noticed something,'_ and _'We can't have him running blind,'_ and the more worrying _'I don't want you _dead._'_

Something _was_ going on, and that 'something' was such that _Kudo Shinichi_ hadn't taken it to the police. Lack of proof? Worrying.

"Sure, I have some time."

_xxxx_

"Tadaima!" Kaito called into the house as he kicked off his shoes, "Hakuba, guest slippers are in the cupboard."

Hakuba nodded and set his own shoes neatly off to the side, exchanging for a pair of grey slippers.

"Hm," Kaito pulled his phone out, glancing at the text that had just come in. ("Okaeri!") He shook his head with a smile and called up the stairs, "Shin-chan, you up for tea?"

A second text ("Yes.") and Kaito moved towards the kitchen with Hakuba in tow, "I'll leave Hakuba in the living room and make the tea," he added to the stairwell. "You just relax."

The next text was "Mother hen."

Kaito grinned.

_xxxx_

Shinichi exercised slightly more caution on the stairs than he usually bothered with, but he was still feeling a bit shaky. Kaito was clattering about in the kitchen, deliberately loud, and Hakuba was—yeah, doing what Shinichi would have if he were in the house of someone he suspected. That is, carefully inspecting the room he'd been left in.

Shinichi shook his head, lips quirking in a wry smile. He knocked twice on the doorframe to get the other detective's attention.

"Oh, Kudo-san," Hakuba apparently was smart enough to know better than to try and pretend to have been doing anything other than what he had. Point in his favor. "I'm glad to see you're doing better."

"Thanks," Shinichi replied quietly, his voice still not back up to much more than a murmur. "Sit down, please, Hakuba-san; Kaito will be finished with the tea soon and… we have a lot to go over."

"H-hai," Hakuba hesitated slightly before settling onto the couch, visibly uneasy.

"Sorry I can't start to explain on my own," Shinichi apologized, voice back down to a whisper. "Throat's still weak." Understatement, as it was burning, too.

Hakuba nodded, "Understandable. I can wait."

"I'm back with tea!" Kaito called cheerfully as he made his way into the room, a sturdy tray in hand.

Shinichi knew he wasn't the only one to note that the tray had a small box on it, similar to a handheld radio. White noise generator; always a good idea even if the Black didn't know about either of them, yet. Best to stay in the habit. That it was obvious, well, they needed Hakuba to register the severity of the situation and the best way to do that was clue under the actual words.

From the British detective's cautious expression, it was working. "Kuroba, Kudo-san… what…?"

Kaito sighed, "This is going to take a while, Hakuba. Get comfortable; there's something Shinichi and I stumbled into by accident, if under different circumstances…"

The explanation that followed was heavily edited, of course. Hakuba wasn't really in a frame of mind to accept 'shrunken by experimental drugs' yet, much less 'timetravel via death-near-crystal'. He hadn't even gotten a head-on dose of _Kouzumi,_ yet, so magic rocks would be a bit much.

They _did_ admit to Kaito's resurrection of Kid once Hakuba had understood the reasoning. They needed him on their side and holding back a truth he was likely to find evidence for on his own would have been a major strike against them.

Hakuba pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes with a low sigh. "Let me make sure I'm understanding you. You have both managed to stumble across a criminal organization that has an interest in an unknown gemstone they call 'Pandora' that they believe will grant immortality. The first Kaitou Kid was your father, Kuroba, and was murdered by this organization to get him out of the way."

Kaito nodded.

"Then, you accidentally stumble into a hidden room in your house and find Kaitou Kid's workshop, complete with instructional records, equipment, and trademark suit—all very shortly after someone _else_ claims to be Kid."

Another nod.

"So, you confront this imposter, find out what happened to your father, and _then_ you start spending at least a few nights a month hopping rooftops and getting shot at by _professional snipers_ while stealing large gemstones, only to return the gems when they prove not to be the one this organization is looking for."

"Right so far," Kaito agreed.

"Meanwhile, Kudo-san stumbles across a deal going down and gets caught, poisoned, and left for dead. All he really heard was that the poison hadn't been tested on humans, yet, and was supposed to be undetectable once it dispersed into a living thing's bloodstream. He lost consciousness and when he woke up he got out of the area and hoped they hadn't actually recognized him."

"Still right," Kaito murmured.

"So, as the effects seemed to have dissipated and you checked in with each other as you apparently have been doing for the majority of your lives, you came to the conclusion that you needed to work together."

"Again, yes," Kaito leaned back in the armchair he'd chosen, "We let Shin-chan's parents know the bare bones of 'trouble of a kind that we can't prove to the police' and Mom knew about Dad's night-job and figured me out pretty quick. After they found out we were already working together, someone got drunk and arrangements were made for us from there."

"Your parents arraigned this because you have a criminal organization wanting you both dead and they were drunk enough to think marriage was a good way to handle it," Hakuba shook his head, "Well. That's an interesting reason."

"I know," Kaito grinned, "They're crazy. It's _great_."

A quick set of hand-gestures from the vocally-challenged party in the room had Kaito's grin widening before another quick set sobered him again. "Shinichi's right, though—they don't know who I am and they don't know who _he_ is, but they saw his face. We look enough alike that it's still a problem; if we're lucky, the fact that we're going to make sure we're always seen together in public will give the impression that it was someone else who just looks similar. If we're _really_ lucky, they won't notice there was no reported death where they left him."

"And you're Kid the Second," Hakuba added.

"Yes. Yes, I am, and if they find out, I'm _dead_."

Shinichi made a soft sound, the memory of bullets impacting flesh and white bleeding red and Kaito falling across his own chest (too still, not _breathing_) flashing harsh in his mind.

Percussion on the back of his hand, a litany of reassurance. Hakuba's voice in the background, sharp and worried.

'Sorry,' he signed out with his left hand, letting Kaito continue the gentle thrum of 'I'm here,' on his right.

"Kudo-san? Are you all right?"

Kaito tapped a different question and Shinichi answered both. 'Dizzy,' he admitted, 'You died in my arms.' After a fashion, anyway, though his own grip on the magician had failed moments after they'd fallen.

Kaito grimaced, "Yeah, okay, I'm getting you back to bed. You've probably pushed too hard; you're barely out of the hospital, after all. Hakuba, I'll come back to finish this once I've got Shinichi settled," he helped his husband to his feet, supporting more weight than Shinichi strictly needed him to, "Come on, then, up the stairs."

_xxxx_

Hakuba mulled over what he'd learned and found himself coming to a startlingly ironic conclusion. Kuroba Kaito (AKA Kaitou Kid) was essentially a moonlight showman-detective, using drawing attention to semi-illegal (because what was stolen was always returned) acts in order to draw information.

A thief in name, but not in deed.

Pair him up with a much more Sherlockian-style detective of great local repute, and those two were going to be _headaches_ to anyone who stood against them. Especially if Kudo Shinichi was even half as good at magic tricks as the magician himself. (Redirected pranks seemed to indicate he _was._)

Hakuba wondered if they would ever both show up for a heist, then shuddered and tried to bury the thought. That was a horrifying prospect.

"And what are you thinking about?"

Hakuba jolted at Kuroba's question, half-twisting to see behind him and _how_, exactly, had the magician managed to walk through his line-of-sight unnoticed? No, wait—this was _Kaitou Kid._ 'Line of sight' was probably somehow avoided.

"Heists," Hakuba informed truthfully.

Kuroba grinned, more his usual classroom prankster style than Kid's unwavering confidence. "Think I could talk Shinichi into helping?"

Hakuba shuddered again, "Please don't."

"Oh, come on, Nakamori-keibu's expression would be _priceless._"

That was probably true, but so very far from the point. "All right," the British detective sighed, "I understand the need for silence. I'll cover for you as much as I can."

Kuroba suddenly went dead serious, "Do _not_ draw suspicion towards yourself, Hakuba. Keep your head down if you even _passingly think_ someone might have something to do with the syndicate—and by 'down' I mean don't indicate that you know but keep acting the way you usually do—and contact myself or Shinichi as soon as you can. Do not use police lines to call without working under the assumption that they are bugged. These people are _dangerous._"

"I'm starting to understand that," Hakuba admitted.

"It wouldn't be so bad if they weren't so widespread and smart. One or the other would be a hell of a lot easier to deal with," Kuroba sighed and glanced at the window. "It's getting late and I still need to grab some groceries. You staying for dinner?"

Hakuba paused, "Is that an invitation?"

"Yes," Kuroba stood up, "I still need to run to the market before it closes, but if you don't mind being left to your own devices for a while… well, it would make me feel better to have someone here."

_He_ _trusts me,_ Hakuba realized with a sort of slow shock. _Kuroba Kaito—_Kaito Kid—_trusts me._ "I'll stay."

_xxxx_


	9. Chapter 8

_._

**_Chapter 8_**

"_Did_ you go to last week's heist?" Hakuba asked as Kaito set a not-quite-traditional meal on the table.

Kaito tilted his head, "Yes, actually. While I could probably have gotten my assistant to stand in, he's not up to the acrobatics that the plan required. Mom was here and she kept an eye on Shinichi for me—I came back as fast as I could, and his fever was so much worse that I had Mom call an ambulance."

Hakuba was staring at him. "What—how did…?"

"Flashier than usual is usually _quicker_ than usual and I wanted to get home."

"Huh," Hakuba blinked a few times, "Well. It _was_ a very short heist… and I note that you have not returned the gem, yet."

"I'm going to pass it to Shin-chan with a 'get well soon' card and let him return it once he's feeling up to dealing with the police."

"… Is that wise?" Hakuba asked cautiously, "Kudo hasn't been to a heist, as far as I know."

Kaito coughed lightly, "Clock Tower. I didn't know it was him and he didn't know it was me. The guy was literally 'just passing by' in a helicopter with Division One's Megure-keibu, took over instructing the Taskforce, and had me having to improvise every _fifteen seconds_. I'm going to imply that I just found out who he was and make a point of inviting him to the next heist."

Hakuba shook his head, "Clever. Should I get Kudo-san?"

Kaito shook his head and sat down, gesturing for Hakuba to do the same. "If he's awake, he'll come down on his own. If not, I don't want to wake him."

"Fair enough," Hakuba settled at the spot across from Kaito, "Is there anything else I need to know?"

Kaito shook his head, "Not that we've come across, yet." Truth, if misleading. Things that had not yet happened and now might never… better left unsaid.

Hakuba nodded and picked up his chopsticks.

_xxxx_

"Oh, hey, Shin-chan," Kaito greeted as Shinichi made his way down the stairs a few hours later, "I saved you a plate; I'll go warm it up. Want some tea?"

Shinichi shook his head, "Juice, please," his voice was soft, but clear enough to be understood. He paused to hold the railing for a moment, closing his eyes with a mild grimace that looked more annoyed than anything else.

"Still dizzy?"

"Yeah," Shinichi sighed, "The meds are making me woozy."

Kaito offered a sympathetic smile, "Sorry, I know how much you hate that. Well, I'll grab your plate—living room or kitchen?"

"Kitchen. Not sure how steady my hands are."

"Getting quieter again," Kaito observed as he turned to lead the way, keeping an ear on Shinichi's careful descent. "Throat still bothering you?"

The response was tapped out on the staircase wall, 'Not painful anymore, just easily tired.'

"That's something, at any rate," Kaito conceded over the microwave's hum. "Well, it's just us—no need to use your voice, anyway."

Doorframe this time, 'True. Is Hakuba fully briefed?'

"In as much as his still magic-free mind can take. He's with us, or at least willing to cover."

'As expected," Shinichi pointed out with the table-top, dropping into one of the chairs. 'He's a good person, even if he is still young.'

"Rash, as we all were. Maybe this time will be different." Hakuba had been the first of Kaito's friends to die, and it hadn't even been the syndicate's doing. Just a random murderer and a moment of foolish bravado on a high bridge… culminating in a long fall and the blood of murderer and detective mingling on the ground. Kaito had found out on the news that afternoon.

Kid had canceled the heist that night.

'We'll teach him caution.'

Kaito slid plate and glass in front of Shinichi, smiling a little. "Yeah. We'll change the world."

_xxxx_

Another two peaceful days and Shinichi was back in class, proverbially looking over his shoulder every other minute.

Kaito sighed, understanding the sentiment. Even when the two of them were together, Kaito's 'curse balance' effect usually only held off violent deaths in the surrounding area for a week at a time. Two days before the hospital, five days in it, and three days out? That was already three days longer than Shinichi's curse had ever been held off before.

Hakuba noticed, of course, being a detective. First break, the Brit made his way over to where Kaito was distracting his husband by attempting to turn his hair some color that was definitely not going to be natural.

"Kudo-san, are you all right?"

Shinichi sighed, disarming another glitter bomb before it could go off, "Yeah. Kaito's trying to keep me occupied, but he's just as jumpy as I am—it's been ten days since the last time someone was murdered within a few kilometers of me. It's… _unusual_."

Hakuba apparently wasn't quite sure what to say to that as he blinked several times before frowning slowly. "You do not seek out cases?"

"_No._" Shinichi shuddered, "Sometimes Megure-keibu will ask me to consult if they don't know what to do. Ordinarily I can't go more than two days without all but tripping over a murder. I've had three literally _drop from the sky_ in front of me," and those had only been the pre-Conan ones. "One of those was from a hotel balcony twenty-three stories up and if the man's watch hadn't landed before he did, I would probably have been killed by his body."

"That's… _disturbing_," Hakuba eyed Shinichi oddly, "… You… that isn't…"

"I'm cursed," Shinichi stated flatly. "I am aware that it makes no scientific sense, but most people don't run across more than one incidental murder in their entire lives, if that_._ That I run into two or three a week literally has _no other explanation._"

"In other words," Kaito interjected, "Shinichi is wondering if something is going to happen at school or after."

Shinichi shrugged, "Hopefully after," he grumbled. "I hate dealing with murdered and murderers so young. Hell, I hate dealing with them _at all_, but the young ones are always the worst."

Hakuba paused, "Why are you a detective, then? If you hate dealing with it?"

Shinichi sighed, leaning back in his seat as Kaito slipped his various bits of equipment back in their hidden pockets, clearing the area of colorful disaster-in-waiting. "Because I can't see a body and let the murderer walk free. Because I will not have anyone suffer for what they have not done. Because I'm _good_ at it."

Hakuba nodded slowly, "I see. No matter the image you let the public have of you… this isn't about glory, is it?"

"No. But its better than most believe I'm a glory-hound, because then they play off that angle. It would be harder if people played off my sense of justice, though truth is truth regardless."

"Good point," Hakuba sighed, "I'd better go back to my seat. Would you two be willing to stop by my house after school? I'd like to talk."

"Sure," Kaito offered a sincere smile. "We can do that."

_xxxx_

"So, Shinichi's made it clear that if I prank you in your own home, I'm grounded for the foreseeable future," Kaito said cheerfully, flopped across his longsuffering husband's shoulder on a couch that was _way_ too comfortable to be legal.

Hakuba tried to hide the sudden flash of relief.

Shinichi chuckled, "I thought you'd appreciate that."

Hakuba sighed, "You weren't supposed to notice that."

Kaito laughed, pushing himself properly upright, "Shin-chan notices _everything._ You can't keep a secret from him. Believe me, I've tried_._"

"I can imagine," Hakuba smirked, "Considering your hobbies."

"Oh, you have _no_ idea," Shinichi's lips curled into a frightening approximation of Kaito's normal grin. "His moonlighting notwithstanding, there was this one time when I got there after he'd been practicing his-_mph!_"

Kaito smiled brightly, one arm wrapped around the back of Shinichi's head and the other hand firmly covering the detective's mouth, "_We don't talk about that._"

One of Shinichi's hands came up, 'Kaito, if you don't let me go, I'm running you through soccer drills tomorrow.'

"Uh, heh, ano… don't hurt me?" Kaito drew back with more caution than he really needed, considering Shinichi wouldn't do lasting damage, but… "Please?"

Hakuba blinked, slightly puzzled, and Shinichi took it upon himself to explain. "Me. Kaito. Soccer drills."

"Ah, yes, your first day he _did_ say something about you and soccer."

Shinichi's grin turned just a little evil, "You have a forest behind this house… do you want a demonstration?"

Judging by the considering pause, Hakuba did. "I do not have soccer supplies."

Kaito made a face somewhere between a wince and a grin, "Oh, that's not going to be a problem. At _all._"

_xxxx_

Hakuba was stunned by the time the demonstration was over, stunned and _very_ impressed. Not only was Kudo apparently an _assassin_-level soccer player with the ability to pinpoint-target anything that he could clearly see even if he was using an eyeglasses-equivalent of _binoculars_, he was able to calculate ricochets to hit people who dodged. Well, except Kuroba, who dodged until the ball stopped bouncing with force.

Hakuba had lost count of how many ricochets that had involved.

"Well, that was fun!" Kuroba bounced lightly on his toes, grinning. "Ah, Hakuba, can we come here to practice our tricks? These trees are _awesome!_"

Hakuba considered, "Provided you don't demolish the woods with your practice, I have no issue with it."

"Awesome!" Kuroba cheered, twisting to hug Shinichi, who rolled his eyes with a tolerant smile.

"Thank you, Hakuba-san," Shinichi murmured, poking Kaito in the side pointedly.

"Right, right, thanks. So… see you tomorrow at school?"

Hakuba inclined his head, "Do you need a ride?"

"Huh? Nah, it's not _that_ far to a bus station and Shinichi could use the non-inside time. He's quieter about 'stir-crazy', but a _lot_ scarier."

Hakuba decided not to comment on that, as the concept was a little unnerving. "Right, well, I'll see you tomorrow, then."

_xxxx_

The detour to Beika for a few things from the Kudo mansion went off without a problem. The attempt to return to Ekoda didn't go so smoothly.

Train station, scream, yet another dead body. Or three, as the case happened, and if it weren't for Kaito and Shinichi both being well-versed in dealing with guns in hands that were very much not afraid to use them, it would have been more than three.

The shooter was tied six ways to Sunday with a dose of knockout dart on top and a tired sigh was hidden by residual sobbing by the other two who'd been part of the targeted cluster of people. Five friends, now down to two.

"Random violence," Kaito murmured. "Unusual for us."

True, Shinichi—and thus, whoever was with him—generally stumbled on premeditated murders with an occasional side of crime-of-passion. "At least we didn't have to track him down," he murmured back as the first police sirens strafed across his hearing.

"Three," Kaito tilted his head back against the wall he and Shinichi had taken refuge by after corralling everyone on the platform into seats, "Well. I guess this whole," he gestured vaguely, not an actual sign-word, "didn't put a stop to the curse after all."

"Mm. Well. I've got police reports to fill out and then maybe we can go home."

"With luck," Kaito agreed.

"Kudo-kun!" Megure's familiar voice felt more like memory than present and Shinichi had to blink himself back to _now._

"Megure-keibu," he greeted tiredly, gesturing towards the unconscious and scarf-bound shooter and the dismantled revolver set off to one side. "There's your shooter. Not sure why he did it;" he indicated the two girls huddled against each other, "neither of them recognize him and the other three… well. If you need statements, most of the people here saw at least part of it."

"Are you all right, Kudo-kun?" the First Division head asked, frowning, "And who is this with you? I didn't think you had a brother."

"Just tired," Shinichi pushed away from the wall, Kaito matching the motion. "This is Kuroba Kaito, no blood relation. I'll explain when this is handled."

_Lunch Outtake with the Sorceress:_

Lunchtime on the rooftop, crimson-black hair and eyes like old blood—"Hello, Koizumi-san," Shinichi greeted.

"You _are_ cursed, aren't you?" she asked, peering at him with interest. "With the cunning of a devil and eyes that pierce through all lies to bare truth before gods and men… something wanted you to expose the secrets of those who slay out of malice."

Kaito sighed, drawing the witch's attention.

"Did you know, Kuroba Kaito, that your future has been obscured?"

Kaito grinned, sharp and predatory, "I do know, actually," oh, and that was _all_ Kid, confidence and casual power. "We paid for that obscurity with our own blood, didn't we, Shin-chan?"

Shinichi hummed agreement, smirking at the Red Witch. "We did indeed. The crows circle overhead, but the white and black ravens are no longer below."

Kaito tipped his head, a matching smirk curling his lips, "Full moon's light splinters, carmine, bright, pooling against bloodied stone. Fate shifts; life and death are illusions painted upon the earth."

"For each step taken is another not," Shinichi murmured, "Paths unwalked and fates unfound. A chance, a twist, a lingering hope. Time bends to no man. Make of that what you will, Sorceress."

Akako stepped back, her taunting confidence long since gone. The riddle could have a dozen meanings, a hundred, and most of those indicated something she should not stand against.

Kudo Shinichi and Kuroba Kaito looked back, impassive.

"I concede," Akako bowed, formal and resolute. "I will no longer challenge you." Magicians were the natural enemies of those who practiced sorcery, but these two were not merely tricksters. With Kudo at his side, Kuroba was beyond anything she could do.

'Well,' Shinichi tapped silently on Kaito's knee as the sorceress retreated, 'One less thing to worry about.'

_xxxx_

_That last little bit was very much an extra, because Akako will not be anything approaching a main character. Just saying._


	10. Chapter 9

**_._**

**_Chapter 9_**

It was hours later when they got to Beika's police station, and by then Shinichi was visibly weary. Kaito frowned, glancing sideways at an officer he recognized, for all that he was younger than the one he'd known. "Hey, Takagi-san?" he interrupted the man's quiet conversation with a uniformed woman.

"Yes Ku—err, Kuroba-san?" The man turned to look at him, his tone changing slightly mid-sentence from professionally polite to slightly puzzled.

Kaito let his gaze flicker back to Shinichi, slumped in a rolling chair, "Is there someplace Shinichi can lie down? He shouldn't be pushing so hard; he's not well, yet."

"Not well?" the woman's gaze sharpened into something familiar as she took over the conversation, leaving Takagi blinking. "Did something happen?"

Kaito sighed, "He only got out of the hospital a few days ago and we already had a long day… he needs to take his meds and rest for a while."

The woman's lips thinned, "Right. Takagi-kun, take them to the overnight room. I'll talk to the Inspector about getting this wrapped up."

"H-hai!" Takagi turned to Kaito, who was already making his way back to his tired husband.

"Up you get," Kaito murmured, ignoring the officer moving over to them as he provided most of the force to get Shinichi on his feet. "Takagi-san's showing us to someplace quieter."

Shinichi nodded slightly, fingers coming up to rub at his temples as he curled forward, just a little. "Good idea."

"Head?" Kaito asked rhetorically, placing a careful hand over Shinichi's nape. He grimaced, "You're starting to feel a little warm. Let's get you medicated and lying down—I do _not_ want you to relapse on me."

"Ano…" Takagi started hesitantly as Kaito slid under Shinichi's arm to support some of his weight.

Twin sets of blue eyes flickered towards him, one questioning and one tired.

"This way," Takagi led them through the station hallways to a room Shinichi was—interestingly—not familiar with. Several couches and two low cots—ah, a nap-room. "I'll get some water," the officer informed, turning back towards the door. "Go ahead and get settled—the cots are more comfortable than the couches, if a bit squeaky."

_xxxx_

"Keibu," Sato stated firmly, interrupting him as he shuffled irritably through several stacks of paper—witness statements, she noted.

"Ah, Sato-kun*," Megure glanced up, "Do you need something?"

"Kudo-san is in poor health," she informed. "Takagi took him and Kuroba-san to the overnight room, but he has only recently been released from the hospital and needs proper rest. If at all possible, I think Kudo-san's part in this should be either wrapped up quickly or postponed until a later date."

Megure straightened, frowning, "He was in the hospital? Is he injured?"

Sato shook her head, not quite a denial. "I didn't ask, but the wording seemed to imply illness over injury."

Megure's frown deepened, "I see. Well, I'd better get this straightened out and go talk to him. Sato-kun, if you could get the paperwork?"

"Hai; I'll meet you there."

_xxxx_

Kaito sighed, checking Shinichi's temperature again. A little warm, but not rising, and he needed to quash the lingering fear messing with his rational thoughts. He pressed his forehead against the edge of the cot and listened to even breathing.

Shinichi was _fine._ He _was._ Being easily tired was to be _expected_ after that severe an illness, and the 'a little warm' wasn't even high enough to count as an actual fever. Although getting him home might be difficult, what with the last dose of antibiotics making him woozy.

"Shin-chan," Kaito complained quietly, not actually wanting to wake his husband, "I don't _want_ to stay at the mansion tonight." Might _have_ to, though, seeing as how Kaito's home in Ekoda was far enough to be a problem.

Footsteps in the hall had him shifting into a position where he could be on his feet in an instant, though the light tap on the door eased out some of the habitual tension. Black Org people weren't generally inclined to be polite. He settled back into a kneeling position, though one easier to get up from, and called a quiet "Hai?", throwing his voice towards the door to be heard more clearly.

Megure, good, he'd always been an ally, if a little… well. _Megure._

"Ah… Kuroba-kun? How is Kudo-kun?"

"Not sleeping anymore," Kaito informed, dropping the attempt at quiet when Shinichi's breathing shifted. "Hey, Shin-chan? You up to dealing with questions?"

"Mm," Shinichi didn't open his eyes, "Sooner we get finished, sooner we can _leave._ I want to go home."

"Yeah, me too. Which one?"

"White," Shinichi opened his eyes and reluctantly started to lever himself up.

"Not sure we can get you that far safely," Kaito murmured when Shinichi wavered. "Lie back down; you _know_ those antibiotics make you dizzy."

"Yes, Kaito," Shinichi let himself fall back against the thin padding, the cot's frame squeaking protest.

Kaito huffed at the tone, "Shinichi, my dear husband; if you pass out again, I'm tying you to the bed for a _week_."

A strange sound came from the direction of the door, rather like a strangled frog.

"That's—an effective threat," Shinichi observed. "Although you may have missed how it sounded." Doubtful, though, Kaito had probably calculated the statement for Most Entertaining Reaction from the police in the doorway.

"_Husband?_" Megure sputtered from the doorway even as Sato and Takagi came up behind him.

"Oh, did we… not mention that?" Kaito blinked towards the Inspector. "I mean, I know he didn't want to distract you from the case, but I don't think we meant to skip it entirely."

"Husband?" Megure asked again, at a loss.

"Blame our mothers," Shinichi huffed, lips curling in a fond smile. "They thought it'd be cute."

"It _is_ cute," Kaito pointed out, "Kind of. Would have been nice to have some warning, though."

"You two are _married?_" the woman from before asked, blinking.

"Oh, hey, Sato-san," Shinichi offered a tired wave. "Yeah. For… what? A little over a week?"

"Ten days, give or take," Kaito agreed, hiding his surprise at the revelation. The Sato he'd known had been… sharper, harder; like a knife-blade. "If it hadn't been Shinichi, I would have freaked out and refused to sign the papers. I can handle being married to Shinichi. Any other childhood friend? _No._"

"I feel special," Shinichi murmured drily. "Fortunately, we're on the same page, there. Kaito's crazy, but…"

"_I'm_ crazy?" Kaito huffed, "_You're_ the one who walks up to dead bodies without so much as batting an eye!"

"I'm used to it—and _you _turned your entire class rainbow tie-dye; skin, clothes, hair, and all. Including the teacher."

"So?"

"_The teacher didn't even pause the lecture._"

"Eh, they're used to it," Kaito waved dismissively.

Shinichi let out a resigned sigh, closing his eyes again. "Exactly my point. That aside, however, Keibu? What do you need for us to be able to go home?"

A few more moments in which Megure made several false starts at speaking finally ended with the Inspector apparently deciding to ignore the new information and answer the question. "There's the usual paperwork and we need statements from both of you."

Shinichi sighed again and Kaito glanced over at him, thoughtful. "I can handle most of the paperwork," he informed, producing a clipboard and pen from nowhere while the papers Sato-san had been holding obligingly poofed to said clipboard in a wisp of faintly blue smoke. Kaito ignored the gaping and set to work.

Shinichi, eyes still closed, groaned in exasperation. "Kai, we've been over this. Doing that from across the room is overkill and breaks several laws. _Of physics._"

"Gravity and intervening space are mild and often avoidable inconveniences," Kaito returned, flipping the first page over to start on the back. "You know that."

Shinichi did, actually, what with the rules of sorcery that they had not only learned, but learned to _use._ Neither of them was a true sorcerer, but tweaking how small inanimate objects moved through the world could be done—provided they could spare the energy cost.

"Just don't break any police minds, okay?"

"No promises."

"Ahem," Megure cleared his throat, finally entering the room properly with Takagi and Sato trailing behind him. "Kudo-kun, if I could have your statement while Kuroba-kun is busy…?"

Shinichi nodded briefly and started to explain what had happened at the train station.

_xxxx_

"Well, it looks like that's everything," Takagi informed. "Megure-keibu is finalizing the paperwork, but you two can head home."

"Thanks," Kaito bounced to his feet in a show of energetic agility that had the officer blinking. "Oi, Shin-chan! Time to wake up!"

"Not sleeping," Shinichi murmured, pushing himself upright. "White or black?"

"We've got school tomorrow, so I'd rather white, but…" he glanced over the detective's form in a quick visual inventory. Fine tremor, a shade more pale than Kaito was comfortable with.

"Ano, do you need a ride?"

Kaito glanced at Takagi, cautiously optimistic. "If someone can, yeah. I don't think I can get Shinichi back to Ekoda safely on my own."

"My shift's been over for about ten minutes," Takagi informed, "I can take you home."

"Thanks, Takagi-keiji," Shinichi murmured, swaying.

Kaito moved to brace him, "Yeah, thanks. Shin-chan's exhausted and, honestly, I'm not all that much better."

Takagi offered a small smile, "Well, I'm glad to help. Kudo-san… well, you've helped us a lot, even if you can be a bit…"

Shinichi smirked tiredly, "I know."

Kaito grinned as he steered the detective after Takagi as the policeman led the way out of the building. "He's a lot nicer when there isn't an audience. The 'smug bastard' act keeps a fair number of people from fangirling, though unfortunately not all of them."

Takagi paused to stare, "You mean you do that on _purpose?_"

"Only when there's any chance of media attention or believable rumor… which is all the higher-profile cases and a fair number of the others… and most of the precinct; police officers gossip worse than housewives." Shinichi grimaced, "Fan mail is okay, if annoying, but I _really_ don't like dealing with stalkers. I've found gloating while near other high-school students tends to diminish the number of ridiculous letters and being a visible bastard cuts back on the stalking."

Takagi considered that as he unlocked his car, "Well. That's… huh. Makes sense, I guess."

Once everyone was sitting and buckled—both Kaito and Shinichi in the back seat—Takagi started the car. "Ano… where am I taking you two? I know you said Ekoda, but…"

"You know where Nakamori-keibu lives?" Kaito asked, because while Takagi had certainly known when Kaito had first met him, that hadn't been for another year or so. He closed his eyes briefly and tapped 'Tenses are a nightmare,' on Shinichi's knee.

He sensed the commiserating grimace even without looking.

Takagi, of course, had no knowledge of the byplay, "Aa, I've been there before."

"Right next door," Kaito informed.

"Well, that makes this easy," Takagi noted, glancing in the rearview at his passengers. "Is Kudo-san asleep?"

Kaito glanced sideways, "Almost. If you don't mind, I could stand a nap, myself."

"Go ahead," Takagi offered a smile, "There's a some construction along the way right now. It'll be a while before we get there."

_xxxx_

Takagi scrambled out of the car to catch Kudo's arm as Kuroba hadn't quite managed to brace properly to take the detective's weight before he'd staggered. "Oi, Kudo-san, are you all right?"

"Thanks," Kuroba muttered, shifting himself more fully under Kudo's shoulder.

Takagi frowned, eying the detective, "Kudo-san?"

"The meds make him _really_ woozy after a while," Kuroba explained, "Between that and simple exhaustion, he might be pretty out of it."

"Oh," Takagi hesitated a moment, "Do you need help getting him inside?"

Kuroba glanced towards the house and grimaced, "Yeah, that's a good idea. Come on, Shin-chan, move your feet. Don't make Takagi-san and I do _all_ the work!"*

That stirred a bit of reaction, "Mm," the detective managed, close-lipped, stumbling along with the support as one hand flickered through a strange set of gestures.

Kuroba huffed a laugh, "Not as incoherent as you are dizzy, huh?"

"What?" Takagi glanced over, puzzled.

"Oh, he's correcting my grammar in sign, which means he's got severe vertigo but is thinking clearly. Understandably, the vertigo often comes with nausea, so…"

"Oh," Takagi didn't know sign language, so it was fairly obvious why he'd missed the silent message. "Ano… hang on, I'll help him balance while you get the door."

Kuroba grinned and flicked his fingers, the key suddenly unlocking the door without any visible method of either getting it into the lock or getting it to turn, then the door opened itself for them.

"Um. Ah," Takagi blinked at the somewhat creepy image, "What was that?"

Kuroba grinned, "Magic!" A pause, "Well, more like telekinesis, but there's no need to go spreading that around."

"Ah… ha, right," Takagi accepted the silent urging and helped get Kudo into the house, a little uneasy. _Telekinesis? _Even with only what little he had seen of the teen so far, he _really_ hoped not.

"Okay, now for the hard part," Kuroba somehow managed to replace three pairs of shoes with slippers on three sets of feet without using his hands or letting Takagi figure out how it had been done despite the fact that one of the sets of feet was his own.

Telekinesis was looking a bit more terrifyingly likely.

"Hard part?"

"Stairs," Kuroba explained, guiding Kudo towards a somewhat narrow staircase with Takagi's support.

"Ah," Takagi eyed the steeper than normal steps. There wasn't quite enough room for three abreast.

"Can you spot us from behind? Shouldn't be too bad, but just in case?"

"Right," Takagi eased himself out from under Kudo's shoulder, leaving Kuroba supporting the brunt of the detective's weight.

Said detective grimaced, but didn't otherwise comment as his already unstable equilibrium was further altered.

Takagi sighed in relief as they managed to get upstairs without any mishaps. "Do you need me to do anything else?"

Kuroba frowned thoughtfully, "Well, if you could head to my room at the end of the hall and turn down the bedcover, that'd be great. I'll get him into sleepwear—he can shower in the morning; rest is more important right now."

Takagi nodded and did as requested, though he ended up turning in surprise as Kuroba pulled a… square sheet? Excessively large handkerchief? _Something_ out of nowhere and flipped it briefly over the other teen, magician-style.

When the piece of cloth was withdrawn, Kudo was wearing loose sleep-clothes and a wry smile as he flicked through a quick set of gestures even as Kuroba unceremoniously dumped him into bed.

Kuroba obligingly translated, "Shinichi would like to thank you for the ride and the help, Takagi-san. Would you like some tea before you go? It's still a bit of a drive back to Beika and I'd hate to have you get too tired before you get home. I've got a strong ginger that'll give you a very caffeine-like boost for about an hour before wearing off."

Takagi considered how he felt, "That might be a good idea," he conceded. "Thank you."

Ten minutes later, Takagi was being treated to a sharply-flavored tea that really did have him feeling a lot less tired—by virtue of burning more than hard alcohol. He coughed at the first swallow, "Ah, wow. That's _strong._"

Kuroba grinned at him, sipping a cup of sweetened chamomile. "Yeah, the burn kicks you awake pretty quick. The actual ginger takes a bit longer, but it lasts a bit longer, too. You should probably drink the whole cup if you want it to last all the way back to Beika."

Takagi grimaced and knocked back the rest of the cup like a shot before coughing again. "Okay, I'm awake, now."

Kuroba's grin widened and he pushed the third cup—which Takagi had assumed he'd been intending to take to Kudo—across the small table. "Here, orange juice. It'll take the edge off."

"Thanks," he sipped at the juice, surprised at how quickly it dulled the burn in his throat. "I should probably get going."

"I'll see you to the door, then," Kuroba stood, offering Takagi a hand up. "Thank you, Takagi-san."

"Huh?" Takagi blinked in mild confusion.

Kuroba smiled, "For caring. Shinichi… doesn't have a lot of people who do, not really. Comes with fame, I suppose, that people care more about 'what' than 'who'."

"I…" Takagi considered that alongside what the high-school detective had admitted to earlier and came to a somewhat depressing conclusion. "He cares," he stated after a moment, remembering the cases he'd seen Kudo break apart and that shaded, angry _grief_ that was always in his eyes while he stared down murderers. "Even when he's… well, he cares about _everyone._ It's only fair that someone care back."

"But it didn't have to be _you._" Kuroba pointed out, gentle in a way that Takagi had the feeling he rarely was, "So… thank you."

Takagi bowed his head, "You're welcome." Because to try and deflect again would cheapen the sentiment, and Takagi might be just a bit naïve and more than a little shy for someone in law enforcement, but he wasn't _oblivious._

He glanced back at the white house before getting into his car, thinking over the revelations he'd had handed to him. Kudo Shinichi wasn't who he'd thought he was. Was _better_ than he'd thought he was, more than just smart. Kudo Shinichi was… Takagi smiled faintly, getting into his car and starting it.

Kudo Shinichi was everything a detective _should_ be. He sought justice with bared truth, but there was a kindness he kept masked and that Takagi hadn't expected. As he pulled out into the street, Takagi realized that the Detective of the East was someone who could be a friend.

_xxxx_

_*-kun is generally used as a less formal suffix than –san for males. In the series, Megure, Agasa, and James Black all use '-kun' regardless of the gender of the person they're talking to. This probably says more about the writer than the characters, but there it is._

_*This is an example of easy-to-mistake incorrect grammar (English). The conventions for the 'and me' or 'and I' depend on whether you would use 'me' or 'I' without the preceding other person's name. (i.e. the sentence 'Don't make Takagi-san and I do all the work' is incorrect because if 'Takagi-san' was not part of the sentence, you would automatically say 'Don't make me do all the work,' as a native English speaker. I will concede that non-native English speakers would likely have more trouble with the 'automatic' part, especially if they are new to the language._

_xxxx_


	11. Chapter 10

**_._**

**_Chapter 10_**

"Good morning, Shin-chan!" Kaito greeted brightly as Shinichi stumbled his way into the kitchen, bleary-eyed and visibly grumpy. "Here," he presented a mug of the tar-black liquid that Shinichi called 'coffee' and Kaito called 'contaminated motor oil'.

Shinichi grunted something that was probably meant as thanks and spent a few minutes communing with his cup before he managed to get himself to a passable level of awareness. "I am _so glad_ that I don't have to take those antibiotics anymore," he informed.

"You and me both," Kaito agreed. "You being woozy is bad enough, you woozy _and_ tired is a nightmare."

Shinichi huffed a reluctant agreement. "I barely remember last night," he admitted. "It felt like I was dreaming."

"You were coherent, but I guess you were more out of it than I'd thought. Oh—right, here." Kaito, one hand gloved in white suede, tossed a small box at Shinichi.

He blinked, catching it and raising an eyebrow at the gift-style notecard attached. "What are you—_really_, Kaito?"

**Greetings Meitantei-san,**

**For the sake of Time and Memory, upon your complete recovery you will be made welcome at my heists.**

**Kaitou Kid** _(doodle)_

A glance inside the box showed a glimmer of pale blue and a neatly-written and very official-looking business card with:

**_Kudo Shinichi_**  
_Detective, challenger, and critic_  
_To be made welcome at any and all heists as hosted by_  
**_Kaitou Kid_**  
_Invitation extends to one Guest_

The usual handwritten Kid-doodle followed and Shinichi covered his face in a moment of exasperation. "You realize that if I start showing up at your heists without you and without a very good explanation, more people than just Hakuba will start getting suspicious."

"Mm, I was kind of thinking your parents could give us a hand. Well, one of them as you, anyway."

"Not every time, surely."

"Nah, for a good excuse. You'll have to be either me or Kid, obviously, and one of your parents will have to play you, but if 'you' and 'I' wreak enough havoc being there at the same time, we can make arrangements to be forbidden from ever attending heists together again. I'm sure Hakuba would help."

Shinichi considered, "That's… feasible. All right, well, my parents are probably going to be here within the week; they've had enough time to rearrange things and they've _got_ to be curious. I'll see about setting it up."

"So… three-sided prank war at the next heist?" Kaito grinned.

"Hakuba's going to have a coronary." Because of _course_ they wouldn't warn him.

Not much to Shinichi's surprise, Kaito's grin only widened.

_xxxx_

High school was boring. Not as boring as _grade school_, but boring nonetheless. Shinichi was quietly feeling his brain stagnate while Kaito, mindful of Shinichi's prior admonition about school pranking, merely plotted heavily for a spectacular ten-minute break.

Shinichi sighed, raising one hand to pinch the bridge of his nose as a low-grade ache throbbed behind his eyes. He wanted to check the news—and go back through recent events in general to get his mental calendar straightened out a bit—but Kaito would undoubtedly steal his phone the instant he reached for it, as the magician had been mother-henning him within an inch of his sanity and had no doubt already noticed the headache. What he really needed was a valid excuse to go do something more interesting…

_Huh_. There was a thought.

Shinichi kicked on his acting skills, scribbled his pen against his notebook for a few moments (preventing the ink from flowing with a twist of thought) and sighed. He set that pen aside and dug into his bag for his excuse. "What the…" he frowned, pulling out the small jewelry-store style box Kaito had tossed to him before breakfast, glanced at the note, and raised a hand.

"Yes, Kudo-san?"

"Sensei, I need to make a delivery to Nakamori-keibu. I just found Kid's last conquest in my bag with an invitation to his heists."

There was a sort of collective blink. Hakuba pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled hard.

The (current) teacher shook his head, "Right. I don't think I want to know. Go ahead—and please take Kuroba-san with you. He's vibrating and I don't want to deal with it."

Shinichi shook his head as he slipped his books into his bag and stood, "Kaito… you know what? It's a lost cause. Come on, at least I know _I_ can keep you out of trouble."

"You," Kaito informed as he shoved books into his own bag, "are an energy sink. All I have to do is channel all my extra energy in your direction and you just store it away for the next time you have to dodge bullets."

"That isn't as often as you're making it sound."

Kaito raised an eyebrow, "Uh, Shinichi? '_Last night_' ringing any bells?"

Shinichi grimaced as he opened the classroom door, "Okay, yeah, point," he admitted, ignoring the sudden stillness of the class behind him, "but that wasn't really directed at _me_."

"You," Kaito intoned dramatically, pausing to pose and point, "are a victim of _circumstance!_ Hotei* hates you."

Shinichi sighed, waving impatiently. "Of the Seven Lucky Gods, I think that only Benten would actually _like_ me."

"Eh, the Greeks' Tyche and Nemesis are probably our patrons. Tyche is mine, obviously."

Shinichi considered that as the door slid shut behind them, cutting off the classroom. "Nemesis… Perhaps. I think that Egypt's Maat is more appropriate for me, though."

_xxxx_

Hakuba frowned at the classroom door, a worrying suspicion coiling in his thoughts. Kudo had been shot at after those two had left the manor? Had the syndicate spotted him or—no, that didn't make sense. Kuroba had been with Kudo and they were identical aside from their preferred expressions, stances, and hairstyles.

So what _had_ happened? Kuroba had mentioned 'victim of circumstance' and Kudo had asserted not aimed 'at him'. Which meant… The news, of course.

Hakuba unobtrusively brought out his phone and started skimming headlines about the previous day—it would have been later, likely after nightfall—there. A shooting at a train station in Beika, three dead, shooter incapacitated by… Kudo Shinichi and Kuroba Kaito. It seemed from the cellphone-picture they'd printed that Kudo had been nicked, a short line drawn across his upper wrist just above a uniquely stylized watch. The article made no mention of injuries, though, only the dead.

Kuroba had definitely been the one to restrain the killer, judging by the multitude of silk scarves, and the unconsciousness—Kid's sleeping gas? And it had been random, apparently, the shooter on a cocktail of recreational drugs and raging about 'getting them all' and 'won't get me' when he'd regained consciousness.

If this was the kind of thing that happened after ten days of no bodies near Kudo, Hakuba could see why those two had been so edgy. Maybe the curse idea wasn't so a far-fetched.

_xxxx_

"Kaito! What are you—no, you're not Kaito," Nakamori Ginzo blinked at the teen in front of him, noting the hair was much neater than Kaito's and stance and expression were much more serious.

"Nakamori-keibu," the teen offered a polite bow, "I'm Kudo Shinichi—Kaito's about half a hallway back, terrorizing your newest officer. I'm sorry we were unable to attend the dinner your daughter invited us to."

The man blinked twice, "Aoko mentioned that you looked like Kaito… but I didn't realize the extent," he admitted, "Well, either way, that wasn't something that could be helped. Why aren't you and Kaito in class?"

Shinichi offered a tired grimace, "This," he informed, handing over the box and notes. "Apparently Kid found out about my involvement at the clock tower."

"That was _you?_" Nakamori twitched, scowling, before visibly reigning in his temper. "Well… I can't argue with your results."

"I'm sorry about my handling of the situation," Shinichi sighed, "I'd rather not explain my reasons here, though. Inter-departmental gossip is _terrible._"

"That's unfortunately true," the head of the Kid Taskforce conceded. "I'd wondered why Kid was taking so long to return this—I suppose he was waiting for you to get better."

"Apparently. Kaito's enthused about the idea of getting into a heist proper, but I'm not sure it's a good idea for _both_ of us to attend."

"Oh? Why not?"

Shinichi coughed lightly, "We get a bit… _competitive._"

"And that's bad?"

"Kid causes quite a bit of chaos on his own. Add in my presence and Kaito will probably start adding to the mayhem by effectively challenging Kid to a magic contest—and probably drag _me_ into it."

"Err," Nakamori clearly spent a few seconds with a mental image of Kaito-vs-Kid before he shook himself, "I'm sure it won't be as bad as all that, and—as much as it pains me to admit this—you did a good job at keeping track of that thief at the tower."

"He was using standard magician's tricks," Shinichi shrugged, "I may not be as good at setting them up as Kaito, but I'm _better_ at seeing through them and redirecting them when they're aimed at me."

"You're a magician, too?" Nakamori blanched a bit, his previous mental image turning into a Kaito-vs-Kid-vs-Kudo free-for-all.

"I—well, in theory, I guess. It's more for self-defense than anything, though—Kaito's a handful, but his dad taught my mom. She's a _menace._"

Nakamori spared a moment firmly quashing speculation on that statement, deciding it fell under 'need not to know'. "Well, I'm not sure what to tell you. Kid's made it pretty clear he expects you to be there, and the 'Guest' is probably supposed to be Kaito."

"I'm going to regret this," Shinichi informed seriously. "Fine. Next heist he announces, Kaito and I will go."

_xxxx_

"Shin-chan!"

Oh. Mother—and that was unfortunately literal. "Why did we come here, again?" Shinichi asked the magician blinking at his side.

"Um. Temporary insanity?"

"Shin-chan," the tone turned from gleeful to pouting as Kudo Yukiko made her way down the hall towards them, "Is that any way to greet your beloved Kaa-chan?"

"Hello, Kaa-san," he greeted dutifully. "You realize that this is my school and one Kaito-grade troublemaker is enough?"

Teens that had been interested and amused suddenly plastered themselves against walls to get out of the overly cheerful woman's way.

"Now, Shin-chan," Yukiko scowled at her son, eyes reflecting mischief, "Kai-chan shouldn't have to do _all_ the work on his own. If _you're_ not going to help your husband get this dreary place cheered up, I'll just have to do it myself!"

Hm. Now the halls were rapidly emptying. Kaito had obviously left an impression.

"Well, _really_," Yukiko's pout briefly turned a bit more genuine before a pleased smirk overtook it. "They can't even take the _implication?_ Kai-chan, you've obviously been doing a wonderful job."

Kaito grinned and Shinichi cut in before things could snowball. "Kaa-san, can you let us pick up our assignments before doing anything drastic? I don't want my grades to drop because the teachers were too traumatized to hand over the homework."

"Mou, Shin-chan, so serious! Fine, but you two are coming to dinner with us tonight!"

"We'd be delighted_,_ Yuki-chan!" Kaito took the turn to cut in. "I haven't seen you or Yuu-san for _ages!_"

That was true, and Shinichi _was_ looking forward to seeing both his parents. Preferably at the same time, with his father's somewhat stabilizing effect on his mother's madness. He blinked as Yukiko flounced off in a fit of drama, suddenly noticing the parallel between his parents' relationship and his own relationship with Kaito.

A hand came up to cover his eyes and he sighed, "Come on, Kai, let's get our work and go. The poor school doesn't need to deal with this right now."

_xxxx_

_*Hotei is one of the Seven Lucky Gods, named as a god of abundance and good health. Benzaiten (shortened to Benten) is a goddess of knowledge, art (including and especially music), and beauty._

_*Tyche is a fairly little-known Greek/Roman goddess and 'Lady Luck' would be an appropriate description. Nemesis is often referred to as 'goddess of revenge', but that's a modern view. She was originally depicted as more a 'karma' goddess, and represents balance and fair retribution most strongly._

_*Maat_ _is one of Ancient Egypt's most founding principal deities, though not one of the most obvious or currently well-known. She is goddess of Truth, Justice, Law, and morality. If there ever were a patron god/goddess of Kudo Shinichi, I think she'd be it._

_xxxx_


	12. Chapter 11

_**Warning: **__First actual implication of yaoi in this chapter. I _disapprove_ of cheating, and teenagers have hormones. Fact of life._

_Religiously speaking, I think that the greatest gift God gave to people was free will. It is neither my right nor my place to dictate other people's beliefs and attempting to dictate _feelings_ is just stupid. We can't even really dictate our _own_ feelings, so trying to tell someone else how to feel is patently ridiculous._

_Besides which, if someone's going to love someone else—as in, not just lust but actually care about and care for—why should anyone stand against it? Genuine 'I know your faults and love you all the same' is getting unfortunately rare in this world._

_Wicca has a saying (I'm not sure if it's a rule or proverb): __**As it harms none, do as ye will.**_

_It seems to me that the whole human race would do well to live by that. And to remember that oneself is still one and harming none does not have exceptions._

_**Chapter 11**_

"Shinichi, Kaito-kun," Yuusaku waved to the boys as they made their way across the restaurant, taking the moment to observe them. Physically, they were identical, the only true differences in style and bearing, not actual build or face-shape or even _color._ They could have been identical twins—except they weren't even related.

Something else was bothering him, though. He hadn't seen Kaito since Toichi had died, so he didn't really have much basis for comparison there, but _Shinichi_…

This was not the Shinichi he had seen scant months ago. He did not doubt that it _was_ his son, but something was wrong. The Shinichi he remembered had been bordering on arrogant at times, but the majority of that arrogance had been a front to cover a lack of true confidence. He'd been a _teenager_, smart enough to know he was smarter than most and lacking the social skills to be anything more than awkward in the average teenage group situation while simultaneously charismatic enough to have whole crowds obeying his every instruction.

_This_ Shinichi… there was a wariness there, well-hidden, and a calm confidence that was not arrogance at all, though it would probably look that way from an outsider's viewpoint. No, this Shinichi was lacking the former (expected) adolescent awkwardness, instead showing a quiet surety that was bordering on _frightening_ to the increasingly worried father.

_Four months._ What had he _missed?_ Shinichi's two strange requests had been concerning with their unexpectedness, more so than he'd wanted to dwell on, but something about this indicated that whatever had caused them had been building for much longer than he'd had any idea of.

"Tou-san," Shinichi's voice cut through his musings, quiet and gentle. "What's happened… you couldn't have known."

Yuusaku blinked, surprised at how easily Shinichi had read him. "Shinichi…"

It was Kaito who replied, "He's right, Yuusaku-san. This isn't your failing. It's _ours._"

The novelist shook his head, "You two… you're still young. As your parents; Yukiko, Chikage, and I… we've obviously missed something we shouldn't have."

"We already explained to Kaito's mom and Jii-san," Shinichi stated, voice low enough that a soft crackling hum was audible in the background. "We'll tell you tonight. There are some things we could use your help with, and we're not too proud to ask. More to the point, though… we shouldn't be speaking of it in such a public location."

Wait. Crackling hum? _White noise generator?_ Yuusaku closed his eyes briefly, the implication of such an item not lost on him. "Right. We'll talk later. For now, let's wait for Yukiko to get back and just enjoy dinner."

"Oh, and Tou-san?" Shinichi's eyes sparked with fond amusement, "Can you make sure you and Kaa-san don't order any fish?"

"No… fish?" Yuusaku repeated, confused. "That's not really a problem, but…" he caught sight of Kaito's disgruntled expression and the amusement suddenly made sense. "Right. Nevermind. I'll make sure."

Shinichi chuckled, "Domo."

"Yeah, laugh it up, Shin-chan. I know where you sleep."

Shinichi smirked, just this side of evil. "Of course you do. It's _your _bed, after all."

Yuusaku snapped to attention, rarely-heeded fatherly protective instincts suddenly rearing their collective head. Name-only marriage was one thing, but if Kuroba had pressured his son into anything-!

Kaito either didn't notice the sharp look being sent his way or didn't care, huffing at Shinichi. "Well, I was hardly going to make you sleep on the floor while you're still sick and the guest room really isn't fit for habitation at the moment. Mom's room is just—_no._"

Oh. Well, that was all right, then—_wait._ "Sick?" Yuusaku asked pointedly.

"Ano…" Shinichi looked genuinely puzzled, "You didn't let them know?"

Kaito flushed, "I forgot."

"For _five days?_"

"I'm sorry! I just—I was a bit preoccupied with _you_ at the time."

"How bad was this?" Yuusaku demanded, barely noticing as his wife made her way over to the table as 'five days' flickered through his thoughts. Five days sick or five days out of school?

"He almost died," Kaito's voice was quiet, "_Twice._ I was—well. The doctor had a spare bed brought in so I could stay with him. If he hadn't already been at the hospital by the time his fever spiked…"

Five days _hospitalized,_ it sounded like, and Kaito having been worried was one thing, but a doctor allowing a non-patient to stay in the same room as a patient was something else entirely. "Care to be more specific?" Yuusaku kept his voice tightly controlled.

Shinichi sighed, "Honestly, the first few days are a bit fuzzy, but I was told I hit 41.6 the first night and 41.5 midway through the second day."

A shiver of horror shook through Yuusaku's veins. That—that was _close._ Shinichi seemed fine, but… "How long ago?"

"Night after we got married," Kaito stated shortly, "I got him home a little over five days ago. He had his last dose of antibiotics last night and the flu-symptoms are clearing up, but he still gets tired a little more easily than he should."

Yukiko apparently couldn't hold back anymore, as she moved over to hug Shinichi tightly. Shinichi grunted slightly as his mother compressed his lungs with the force of her grip, but smoothed her hair reassuringly anyway, "I'm fine, Kaa-san. Kaito's been taking care of me."

Another inconsistency; Shinichi should have been trying to worm out of her grip, embarrassed and flailing. Why was he _not?_

"He's a lot better today than he was yesterday," Kaito conceded. "This time last night, he was pretty beat. And _then_ there was that mess with the random shooting and we didn't even get home until past midnight thanks to police procedure, so by all rights he should be _more_ tired today… but he's not."

That was reassuring, yes. And… there was definitely more going on, here. Even if they'd spent all four of the last months in close contact, Shinichi and Kaito shouldn't be _this close._ They were responding to each other and Yuusaku and Yukiko as if they knew each other better than either parent knew either of them—and Kaito obviously knew both Yuusaku and Yukiko better than he should.

_Much_ better. He reacted with a familiarity that spoke of long acquaintance—one they hadn't had. Yuusaku forcibly crushed his quickly-branching theories. The boys had said they'd explain when safely home; he could and _would_ wait.

"So, all else aside… have you two thought about where you'd like to take your honeymoon?" It was meant to spark embarrassment and denial, a prod in hopes of a familiar response.

Yukiko perked up, loosening her grip on Shinichi… who didn't react quite as Yuusaku had more than half-hoped. Of course, the taunt about Kaito's bed _had_ been a pretty obvious declaration that Shinichi wasn't going to be embarrassed by the implication of sex.

"Yes, actually," Shinichi informed, lips curling into a smirk. "Kaito had a wonderful idea."

"Canada," Kaito grinned, "There are some hotsprings I've read about—Ainsworth*? British Columbia, neat area, an in-cave spring that's supposed to be really awesome, mountains all around with great hiking—Shin-chan'd love it."

Yuusaku blinked at the two. They seemed serious. "Really?"

Shinichi smiled, "Well, Kaito _did_ point out that 'expected vacation time' was something too good to pass up."

"There's something about this you're not telling me," Yuusaku decided. He hesitated a moment,"… I'm not sure I want to know."

"Well, that aside," Shinichi's smile morphed into a grin, "I have been officially invited to Kaitou Kid's heists—Kaito has an implied secondary invitation."

Yuusaku leaned back in his seat, "Oh? That sounds interesting…" especially since he knew quite well who the original Kaitou Kid had been, and had a _very strong_ suspicion involving version 2.0. How were they planning on pulling that off?

"Well, I warned Nakamori-keibu," Shinichi stated, mock-resigned, "I really did. But he insists that we both join the hunt… surely you know what happens when Kaito and I go after the same thing? The competitive streak gets bit…"

So, what? They needed a third party? But that meant… "Shinichi, have you become a magician while my back was turned?"

Shinichi smirked, fingers flicking. Yuusaku's tie appeared in his son's hand with a tiny poof of glimmering smoke—there had been no tug, just a sudden lack of weight, and Shinichi was still sitting across from him, his mother's arm wrapped loosely over his shoulders. "Ah, Shinichi?"

"I'm not at Kai's level," Shinichi shrugged, "but, well… as he has pointed out more than once: 'gravity and intervening space are mild and often avoidable inconveniences.'"

"Shinichi," Yuusaku stated more firmly, familiarity with Toichi's old tricks informing him that something wasn't quite right. "That… did not seem like sleight-of-hand."

"Ah, about that…" Kaito offered a sheepish grin, "Most of what we do is stage magic, but… well, we can sort-of… _twist_ space, a little, with what we know."

"There are more things in heaven and earth," Shinichi murmured.

Yuusaku tried very hard not to stare, his mind stuttering over the implication. "I get the feeling that explanation's going to take a while."

Twin nods.

"Right. Dinner first."

_xxxx_

Dinner had been quite nice, Kaito reflected, though the explanations afterwards had been less so. Yukiko had taken the information in much the same way as Chikage and Jii, but Yuusaku seemed to have a somewhat different perspective.

Where the two mothers and Jii had believed them, they didn't quite understand—no doubt at least partly due to the fact that Kaito and Shinichi still looked (and, now, in some ways _reacted_) like their teen selves. Yuusaku… Yuusaku seemed to understand that they were here by a twist of luck and a bloodied crystal, that they had paid for this chance with their _lives._

Unintentional though it might have been, they _had_ died on their self-assigned mission to take down the syndicate. Before that, they had lost nearly everything_._ Chikage was as much a phantom thief as Kaito, if one who had long been retired, Jii was more an assistant magician than anything, and Yukiko was an actress who played out parts placed before her.

Yuusaku was the one who wrote worlds of his own, who was truly capable of throwing his mind beyond the one he lived in. Small wonder that he was the one to see just what they'd been through.

'What now?' tapped against his knee, and Kaito spared a moment to place his hand lightly over the questioning fingers and tap back.

'I think we need to talk properly ourselves, too. You've noticed by now: it's harder for me to keep my emotions stable. You're the same way.'

'I know. We're teenagers again. Physical development—including brain—is set back.'

Kaito grimaced, 'Hadn't thought of that.' Of course, now that it had been pointed out, it really should have been obvious. He might have the memories of a thirty-five year old, but his brain didn't have that last bit of setup to put a (comparatively) easy cap on emotional reaction. _Wonderful_.

Also: hormones. Well, _damn_. This was going to be interesting. 'Hey, Shinichi? What are we planning to do about this?'

A soft huff, 'It wouldn't be the first time we've shared a bed.'

Okay, yeah, that was true. Of course, it had been more about relieving tension than anything else—and neither of them was rash or stupid enough for one-night stands with strangers or hookers while being chased by a multi-national criminal organization even if either of them _had_ possessed some sort of proclivity towards either. It hadn't happened often that they'd sought physical comfort from each other, but it had definitely been more than once.

Romance had been left out of the equation. Of _course_ it had—survival had come first. If they had lived, if they had won, if the syndicate had fallen… maybe that would have changed. Maybe it wouldn't have.

Neither of them had been running on _teenage hormones_ at the time, though, and now they _both_ were. No real need for embarrassment, rationally speaking, as it wasn't like they hadn't seen each other at their worsts, but the 'teenage' part… then again, well, _teens._ Once he blipped his mind past the ingrained 'too young' from an eighteen year difference to 'Shinichi'… He felt a smirk curl his lips as he pointedly slid his fingers over the back of Shinichi's hand.

"This could actually be kind of fun," he murmured, mischievous and teasing.

Shinichi rolled his eyes upward, resigned to his partner's antics and very deliberately silent in his reply. 'Oh, look, we're even _married_.'

Kaito snickered.

On the couch across from them, Yuusaku exchanged glance with his wife. "I feel like we missed something."

_Extra:_

"All righty then! Time to set up the next heist!"

Shinichi raised an eyebrow at Kaito's announcement to the doves. "And you have something in mind?"

"Eh, well, I guess it'll have to be one of the ones I've done before… Repeating heists, che…" he glowered at his calendar, contemplating. "Eh, I guess I'll just go after that amethyst again—it was pretty and greatly underappreciated."

"'That amethyst'?"

"Wasn't named, but it was gem quality and big enough to be viable. Not heat-treated, very pale, emerald-cut. Belongs to a lady business owner who made a small display of semiprecious stones in the her personal office; the amethyst was the only one both old enough and big enough to be interesting. There was a little article on the display in one of the minerals magazines I picked up a couple weeks from now."

"Right…" Shinichi shook his head, "Well, make a big enough deal out of it yourself, and we can get the dual Kid and police request to _never_ be at the same heist as you and me again."

Kaito grinned at that. "Sounds like fun!"

Shinichi winced, "Suddenly I feel so very sorry for Nakamori-keibu."

_xxxx_

_*Ainsworth does actually exist and the in-cave hotspring is awesome. My parents took me when I was in high school._


	13. Chapter 12

.

**_Chapter 12_**

"Maa, maa, Hakuba!" Kaito attempted to placate the quietly raging Brit, "It'll be fine! There's absolutely nothing for you to worry about!"

"Kuroba, you are expected to go through the next Kid heist _alongside your husband._"

Kaito grinned, brightly gleeful. "I _know!_ It's awesome!"

"Suddenly I feel very uneasy," Hakuba was eyeing him like he was expecting some sort of explosion.

A ball of paper bounced off Kaito's head before he could reply, "Aw…"

"Kaito, play nice," Shinichi scolded, kicking the door shut behind him and making his way across the roof to hand the magician a bento. "Don't worry about it, though, Hakuba-san. It's under control." He kicked the paper-ball several centimeters into the air and followed up by sending it back across the roof to the trash can set just outside the door.

"Your footwork is, as always, amazing, Shin-chan," Kaito observed.

Hakuba shook his head, "Do I want to know what you mean by 'under control'?"

Shinichi smirked, a muted echo of Kid's confidence, "Probably not."

"Right." Hakuba kneaded his forehead.

Kaito snickered.

Shinichi sighed, "Anyway_,_ Hakuba, you might want to skip the next heist. Watch it on the news or from outside instead of actually showing up as a detective. It's liable to get… _chaotic_."

"You know, Kudo-san… I think I'll take your advice. I'm not sure I can handle Kuroba _and_ Kid."

Kaito pouted, "Haku-chan! That's _mean!_"

Hakuba froze. "_Haku-chan?_"

Shinichi rolled his eyes heavenward in an exaggerated silent plea for patience. "Hakuba-san, don't even bother. It's a waste of breath."

The Brit stood up, snapping the lid onto his bento-box. "I'm leaving before I strangle him."

Kaito's pout grew by epic proportions as he watched his favorite teasing target flee his presence. "And I was just getting started, too…"

_xxxx_

Hakuba dropped into his seat and flopped across his desk, groaning tiredly and pressing his forehead against the cool wood. Kuroba was _exhausting._ Did the idiot have no concept of self-preservation!?

"Ano… Hakuba-kun? Are you all right?"

Hakuba sighed heavily and forced himself more upright, "I'm fine, Nakamori-san. Just tired and more than a little exasperated."

"Kaito again?" Nakamori smiled at him, "You should either ignore him or wave a picture of a fish at him."

"'Picture of a fish'?" Hakuba blinked, confused.

"He's afraid of fish."

"Ichthyophobic?" Possible defense against Kuroba, _thank you_, Nakamori. "How unexpected."

"Unless Kudo-kun's around," Nakamori conceded, "Kudo-kun seems to be able to calm him down, even in the face of fish." The girl went briefly starry-eyed, "It's _adorable._"

"I see," Hakuba considered. Despite the fact that no one—including the Nakamoris—seemed to have known that the Kudo and Kuroba families were apparently old friends, it seemed that Kuroba's previous implication that he and Kudo had known each other for quite some time was true. Granted, Hakuba had seen evidence pointing to that himself, but a good portion of what he'd seen (except the unknown non-verbal languages, which now occurred to him might be more an 'inter-family' thing than a 'friends' one) could be attributed to Kuroba's friendly nature and Kudo's media-vaunted ability to take _anything_ in stride.

Being able to settle someone in the face of a phobia, though… _that_ took personal familiarity that went both ways. So, final confirmation acquired. Moving on: Why had the two families kept their close ties a secret? And _how?_ If the sons of those families knew each other so well as to completely account for each others strengths and weaknesses as well as anticipate each others actions and reactions accurately enough for the detective to turn around magic tricks and the magician to dodge assassin-level soccer balls, they had to have seen each other frequently, over long-term close-living, or _both._

It was hard to hide that kind of thing from next door neighbors when one of those neighbors was a teenage girl who was a good friend. Teenage girls were notoriously snoopy, at least as much so as a detective, if often less skilled in their snooping. That Kuroba had been able to completely hide such a friend from her was… _impressive_.

That she didn't seem to find it at all suspicious was almost more so.

"Oi, Hakuba!"

Hakuba's forehead met his desk again. "Why aren't you still on the roof with your husband?" he asked without raising his head.

"Baka! What did you do to poor Hakuba-kun?"

"Nothing!" the protest was so perfectly _Kuroba_, innocent enough to proclaim guilt.

"Shin-chan!"

Oh, it sounded like Kudo had arrived. Possible reprieve.

"Ah! Two Kaitos!"

Nakamori's yelp made Hakuba raise his head. "Gah," he stared. One of them had to be Kudo. _Had_ to be. _Which_, though, he hesitated to guess. "No. _No._ This is _not_ _happening_."

The Kuroba in the hall folded his arms, mock-serious, "Kaito, what have you told me about picking on Hakuba?"

"That it's always better to do it more?"

Dear _lord._ Even their _voices_ were the same.

The one in the doorway proper walked into the classroom, shaking his head vigorously before somehow ruffling his hair into order, his stance dropping back into Kudo's relaxed seriousness. "Sorry, Hakuba-san, I couldn't resist. After all the times we swapped schooldays while I was still in Teitan, I wanted to see what you'd do when faced with more than one Kaito."

Well. That explained how Kuroba had kept Kudo a secret—and presumably how Kudo had kept Kuroba one, too. If Aoko thought she was just seeing Kuroba himself… "I don't want to know. I really, _really_ don't."

The one in the hall grinned and Hakuba spent a moment wondering whether it was _really_ Kuroba or whether they had spontaneously swapped places. He then decided he probably wasn't going to be able to tell without fingerprints and DNA checks.

Then it occurred to him that he might not know which belonged to who to begin with, especially with the current Kudo's 'all the times we've swapped' comment. _Not dealing with this,_ he decided and turned to face the whiteboard even though there were another thirteen minutes and forty-three seconds before lunch officially ended.

Footsteps indicated both of the banes of his existence had entered the classroom, "I think we broke him," Kuroba's voice mused.

"He'll be fine," Kudo's asserted, "He just needs some time to adjust."

Hakuba didn't _want_ to adjust. He wanted those two to pick their own personalities and stick with them, not randomly shuffle! So long as they stuck with either one of each or two Kudos, he could probably deal, even if two Kudos would be surreal. More than fourteen seconds of two _Kurobas_ would be _mind-breaking._

"I guess that means I should give him a break for a while," Kuroba's voice sighed, "Ah, well. I'll have to find someone else to torment, today."

_Really?_ Hakuba couldn't even work up any guilt over the relief he felt at that statement. "Oh, _thank god_."

Someone snickered. He didn't think it was Kuroba.

_xxxx_

"Three more days," Shinichi murmured, eyes on the calendar in the Kuroba house's kitchen.

"Hm?" Kaito glanced over, "Three more days? What do you—" _Oh._ Right. "What should we do?"

"Think one of your more pigeon-colored doves could record it? We can't stop the deal, obviously, but if we can start getting evidence…"

"Hm… Yeah, we know when and where. I could have Mei-chan roost on one of the windowsills, no problem. With a non-reflective coating and the night-vision camera, they shouldn't even notice."

"Good. Good," Shinichi closed his eyes for a long moment, "As for the rest of it… Maybe I can prevent the murder."

Murder. Kaito had almost forgotten, having only heard the story. Not forgotten that a man had died, but that the man hadn't died _yet._ "I'm coming with you."

Shinichi dipped his head, acknowledging. "Ran's going to win the championship; I promised weeks ago I'd take her to Tropical Land afterward, but I doubt she'd mind if you came along. Which means you won't have to pull the 'disguised stalker' routine."

"Mm, and the heist's another two nights after that. Your parents laying low?"

"Tou-san is, trying to avoid his editors like always. Kaa-san's probably terrorizing the town."

"'Terrorizing' is such a strong word…" Kaito grinned.

"You _have_ met my mother, right?"

"Well…"

"Kaito, you break minds more-or-less incidentally. Kaa-san _works at it._" Shinichi's sardonic eyebrow had several things to add.

Kaito snickered, "Okay, yeah, Yukiko-chan's pretty bad."

"Hey, I'm the one who has her as a _mother_."

The snickers turned to muffled cackles, "Oh, _gods,_ Shin-chan! I feel so sorry for you!"

_xxxx_

The remainder of the day passed peacefully enough, barring a brief interlude involving yet another murder the moment Kaito left Shinichi in Aoko and Hakuba's presence while running home to drop off their school things.

Hakuba had—somewhat unexpectedly—been so interested in seeing Shinichi work that he had stayed on the sidelines and not investigated himself. After the case had been broken down and concluded within five minutes of Division Ones' officers arrival at the café, a grand total of maybe fifteen minutes after the young man had died, he'd seemed genuinely impressed. (Aoko had been upset and disturbed enough that she had gone to her father's office immediately afterward and refused to go home alone while also refusing to let any or all of the boys go with her.)

The morning after that (two days left before the blackmail deal), Hakuba met up with Shinichi and Kaito on the way to school. "Kudo-san, Kuroba," he greeted, a little more casual than was believable.

"Hey, Hakuba," Kaito greeted right back, eyes sparking with sudden mischief.

"Hakuba-san," Shinichi returned calmly, reaching over to place a firm hand on Kaito's shoulder and tapping out a basic admonition with one finger. 'Behave.'

"I had heard, Kudo-san," Hakuba stated slowly, dropping in to walk next to them, "that you are the best detective in Japan. I had heard speculation on a wider range than that. I had _also_ heard that you are arrogant, vain, and completely without care for the people around you."

Shinichi's grip on Kaito's shoulder tightened in warning as the magician bristled.

"The latter rumors were quickly disproved upon meeting you. You are distant with the other students and very direct in speech and manner, true… but I have not seen this 'uncaring' attitude I've heard of. While you do possess a certain air of confidence, you do not strike me as arrogant—or, you did not, until I witnessed your manner at a crime scene."

Shinichi gestured easily, "And?"

"This leads me to believe that you have promoted the views held on you _intentionally._"

"Huh," Kaito murmured. "He caught on pretty quick."

"What I do not understand is _why_ you promote such a view of yourself," Hakuba finished, ignoring Kaito's observation.

"It's simple, Hakuba-san. I am young, easily recognizable, and have a large fan-base that I do not want. The less pleasant my personality seems to those who do not personally know me, the fewer _stalkers_ I have to deal with. I dislike having to see people hurting each other or having to arrest them for doing so; this means that I am less often a factor in the choices that may lead to either—or both—of those things."

"Ah," Hakuba considered that. "Well, that makes an unfortunate amount of sense."

Kaito's head tilted curiously, "Oi, Hakuba—what about the rest of what you'd heard?"

The British detective grimaced, "I did not believe the former of the media-promoted rumors… but they are the ones that seem most accurate."

"Oh?" Kaito grinned, "So you think Shinichi's good at what he does?"

"_Very_," the admission was grudging, but respectful for all of that. "I could not have cracked that case as quickly or with nearly as much cooperation from the local law enforcement."

"Megure-keibu respects ability," Shinichi stated. "So do Sato-san and Takagi-keiji. If you prove competent and trustworthy, they will listen to you; regardless of your age or official occupation. Most of the other Division One officers are the same way. Those that are not are generally assigned to cases away from younger consultants or under a senior officer with more sense."

"Good to know," Hakuba murmured.

"Mm," Shinichi glanced sideways at the other detective, catching the pensive expression. "Hakuba-san… why are you really here?"

Hakuba sighed, "It really is impossible to hide something from you, isn't it?"

Kaito shrugged on Shinichi's other side, "Told you. He notices _everything._"

Shinichi just waited, listening to their feet tap against asphalt.

"I… will you teach me?"

Well. That was… unexpected, actually. The Hakuba he'd met as Conan would have been too proud to ask. Then again, the Hakuba he'd met as Conan hadn't been told a number of truths that may have put him just a bit more on guard than he had been before.

"Depends on what you mean," Shinichi decided on. "I can teach you caution. I can teach you how to survive and how to watch for a suspect who intends suicide or a 'blaze of glory'. I can teach you what certain things mean and the usefulness of what others would deem 'useless trivia'. What I _cannot_ teach you is how to see. I can't teach you not to jump to conclusions, not to over-focus on a single unproven suspect... those things you will either learn on your own or not learn at all. There is no substitute for experience."

Hakuba bowed his head, "I see. If you are willing to teach what you can…"

"You'll get plenty of experience if you hang around Shinichi, more when I'm not there," Kaito stated.

Shinichi nodded, "That is likely true. I'll do what I can, Hakuba-san. I'd like to see you do well. You're a little rash, but you have a good eye and a good heart."

Hakuba's lips quirked upwards briefly, "I'm pretty sure that was mostly a compliment."

"Mostly," Kaito agreed, "but Shin-chan doesn't say things like that unless they're true. He doesn't believe in flattery."

"Aa," Shinichi smiled, small and genuine. "Hakuba-kun," he deliberately changed the suffix he applied to the Brit, "You're into falconry, right? You have a raptor of some kind."

"Ano… hai. How did you… no, nevermind. There is evidence," Hakuba conceded, "Watson's an Eleonora's falcon*, a bit smaller than a Peregrine. They are primarily large insect hunters, but she's being trained to attack on command and seems to prefer hunting small birds such as finches."

"I see," Shinichi tilted his head, "I'm aware that falcons tend to be both quicker and more agile than hawks, but wouldn't a Harris' hawk be more reliable as a detective's assistant?"

Hakuba blinked, "Well, probably, but she's not supposed to be a detective's assistant. She's a hunting bird. Any cases she ends up on are purely incidental—that is, when I can't take her back to her hut after getting called."

"In that case," Shinichi nodded slightly, "How much time do you need for her each day and when do you need it?"

"Oh, already making plans," Kaito bounced two steps before settling again. "Keep your falcon away from my doves. I _will_ train them to paint-bomb her if she harasses them."

Hakuba apparently decided to ignore that threat, "I _prefer_ to have at least two solid hours for her every afternoon, but I take her out in the mornings before school and she can get by with just that provided its not too many days in a row. She's not well enough trained to take around Tokyo, but she's easy enough to handle in more rural areas with fewer people. She is very young, though, and I'm working on increasing her focus and obedience with multiple distractions."

"Hoping to have her able to handle crowds if needed? Good idea. That aside, though, I've got plans for the day after tomorrow and two days after that will be pretty… _interesting,_ but if you give me a basic schedule, we'll see what we can work out."

"Thank you," Hakuba turned to give a proper bow. "Kudo-sensei."

Kaito snickered and Shinichi sighed, "If you call me that at school, I will help Kaito prank you."

_xxxx_

_*Watson as an Eleonora's falcon is, admittedly, non-canon. As far as I've been able to find, her species isn't specified and she's generically referred to as a hawk. In the one anime episode I've seen her in (219), she is smaller than most hawks and the one good underside shot with spread wings… well, she really looks like one of these falcons. That is not to say that there aren't any hawks of similar size or similar coloring, but I don't personally know one that falls into both categories at the same time, so I'm dubbing her a falcon over a hawk. They're both raptors, and I don't think the author of the DC/MK universe is a falconer, considering the lack of specifics on his one bird of prey as illustrated in the series. This means I feel like I can label Watson how I please. Note: male birds of prey are almost always noticeably smaller than females, which means the female falcon I have in my head is of a similar size to anime-Watson, while a male would be smaller. (Also note: I am not a falconer myself, but I am very casually acquainted with one in my area through a friend. This means I know more than most Americans probably do, but I am _far_ from anything approaching professional. I haven't even been out to his house and the only bird of his I met was a Harris' hawk he was taking to a lecture out of state. Beautiful and about as friendly as you can get with a bird of prey. As one of the VERY FEW group-hunters in the raptor world, they are apparently much easier to train than most other predatory birds. I wanted to make Watson one of them, but not only are they a fairly good size, their three basic color patterns don't match anime-Watson at all.)_


	14. Chapter 13

.

**_Chapter 13_**

"Think we can get through the next two days without you tripping over a body?" Kaito asked, sidestepping a small cluster of glitter-blinded students.

"Hope so," Shinichi casually redirected another attempt to recolor him, which Kaito only mostly dodged in return, leaving him with a splotch of slightly glowing blue across his left arm. "I mean, there was a case yesterday, and you _are_ here."

"I'll do my best to hold of the more malicious crazies, then," Kaito tossed off a mock-salute.

"As opposed to your general insanity, then?" Hakuba grumbled, still sheltering from Kaito's current prank-all attitude on Shinichi's other side.

"You have _no_ idea," Shinichi murmured, lips curling into a smirk. "The running theory is that Kaito scares a fair number of them off by sheer proximity. They don't even have to have knowledge of his presence, their tiny little hind-brains just start flaring panic-signals."

"Oh?" Hakuba asked, reluctantly interested.

"If Kaito catches someone in the act, the aggressor is dealt with in the same general manner as a detective that insults the Taskforce in Kid's hearing range… only magnified by about a power of three."

Hakuba had clearly seen what had happened to an unfriendly detective at least once, considering his expression. "So they sense a bigger predator nearby?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Shinichi agreed.

"I'd say you're mean, but I think that was a compliment," Kaito eyed Shinichi for a moment, "considering it's you and in respect to my murderer-deterrent effect."

"I admit to gratitude," Shinichi shrugged one shoulder.

Hakuba shook his head, "You two are both insane."

Shinichi chuckled, less amused than wry, "That is very true."

"Hey, look at the bright side, Haku-chan! At least we're the _good_ kind of crazy!"

"Kaito! Kudo-kun, Hakuba-kun! Ohayo!"

"Hey, Aoko, Keiko-chan" Kaito waved back while the two detectives returned the greeting a bit more formally.

"Are Kudo-kun and Hakuba-kun friends?" Aoko tilted her head curiously. "Normally Hakuba-kun stays away from Kaito before getting into the classroom."

"Because he makes a point of pranking me if I meet him in the halls," Hakuba defended. "Kudo-senpai makes a wonderful buffer."

"… Senpai?" Aoko blinked.

"'Buffer'?" Shinichi quirked an eyebrow.

"Hakuba saw Shin-chan work that case yesterday," Kaito pointed out. "I think he was impressed."

Hakuba glanced off to the side, mildly embarrassed, "Well, you _do._"

"Oh? Hakuba-kun's famous in England, right? If he's impressed, Kudo-kun must be very good!" Keiko smiled, enthusiastic.

Shinichi smirked, "Hakuba-kun, you need to learn how to handle Kaito's brand of crazy."

Kaito eyed Aoko and decided a distraction was in order. He bounced a half-step backwards and launched to drape himself over Shinichi's back. Shinichi, having caught the initial movement, had braced for the impact and didn't even stumble.

Hakuba didn't seem encouraged.

"We all need to be on the same conversation!" Kaito declared.

"We were," Shinichi informed blandly. "We just took two different branches of it."

"Well, fine then," Kaito turned the cling into a brief strangle-style hug and let go before Shinichi could either throw or kick him, "Re-merge those branches. No more dual-lines!"

"Oh, look," Hakuba cut in, sliding open a familiar door, "Our classroom. We have two minutes and thirty-one seconds before first period starts."

"Hakuba, you suck," Kaito decided.

Shinichi's hand suddenly clamped down on his husband's shoulder as he detected just the slightest change in said husband's stance. "No_,_ Kaito."

Hakuba and Aoko blinked in something close to unison.

Kaito deflated and turned puppy-eyes on Shinichi, "Please?"

"_No._"

Hakuba opened his mouth, hesitated, and took a careful step back. "I feel like I should be thanking you, Senpai."

Kaito pouted, "You really should, Haku-chan. All I needed was one more _second._"

"You don't want to know," Shinichi stated, steering Kaito into his own desk and taking Kaito's usual desk behind it in order to have an easier time keeping an eye on the crazy magician. He elaborated as Hakuba settled at his own desk next to the one Shinichi had claimed for the day.

"Kaito's feeling a bit… repressed. He hasn't gone so long causing so little chaos since he was too small to manage instigating."

"Ah," Hakuba leaned carefully back and a little to the right, even though he had to know the minor distance granted wouldn't do any good if Kaito decided to aim for him. "I will endeavor not to make myself a target, then."

_xxxx_

Aside from more spectacular than usual breaks and lunch hours that involved school-wide chaos, two days passed relatively peacefully. Hakuba had become something of a fixture for a few hours after school and was marginally better at dealing with Kaito, though that probably had as much to do with having some answers as proximity-induced inoculation.

The third morning—Saturday*—Shinichi was having to pull on his vaunted self-control to keep from showing his edginess to all and sundry. School passed in a short haze and Shinichi and Kaito made their way to Tropical Land to meet up with Ran, a grey and brown dove following at a discreet distance before being directed to an appropriate windowsill at the meeting area.

Shinichi glanced over his shoulder, scanning the feathered form—no glint from the camera attached to her ankle. Good. The way the camera lay, it looked more like either a mild deformity or a poorly-healed broken toe than anything man-made, especially as that particular dove had suffered a close call with a stray dog several months back and lost a toe on that foot.

In the dark, it was very unlikely that Gin or Vodka would notice anything off about the bird.

"You okay?" Kaito asked quietly.

Shinichi huffed out a breath, "Yeah. Just—it's seems so… I don't know. _Unreal_, I guess."

"So long as we're careful," Kaito murmured, leaving the implication lying between them, unspoken.

Shinichi's lips quirked, "You're right. Thanks."

_xxxx_

Shinichi's left hand was cursing against asphalt, apparently heedless of the rough surface under his fingers. Shinichi rarely cursed, but Kaito had to admit he definitely had reason to right then, considering the shrieks from the rollercoaster above their heads had been joined with a short splatter of blood.

The detective was on one knee, half-covered in red, and Ran was screaming.

Kaito took over damage control as Shinichi choked and gagged, then coughed several times, right hand clamped over his eyes. "Ran-chan! _Ran!_ Shinichi's fine, the blood's not his! Call the police and tell them to get to the Mystery Coaster, _now._"

Ran backed up several steps, fumbling for her phone, and Kaito knelt next to his husband, pulling one of many spare handkerchiefs from a pocket and dousing it in rubbing alcohol. "Keep your eyes closed and hold your breath," he instructed firmly, moving Shinichi's hand aside to wipe blood from his skin.

Blood to the face (coughing, gagging—eyes, lungs, _and_ mouth) with a still-compromised immune system? Yeah, Kaito was worried. That the murder had happened before they'd gotten to the coaster? Unexpected. Shinichi remembered everything about that (this) day, had kept the newspaper clipping and battered clothes.

What had caused the change? They were adhering to the last time's timetable, it hadn't been _them_. No, it could have been anything—a different whim for lunch stop, someone else deciding not to ride that coaster and leaving a shorter line, _anything._

"All right, you can breathe again," Kaito tucked the now-bloodied cloth into a plastic bag and slid it into a pocket. Might be needed as evidence. "Let's go—we need to direct damage control until the police get here. Ran-chan? It might be best if you waited outside for the police."

The chaos was easy enough to bring under control inside the line area, a few quick orders to the amusement park's personnel had them restricting access to and from and a visual sweep of the small crowd inside revealed that Gin and Vodka weren't there.

Shinichi slipped out of sight, a brief flash of sign letting Kaito know what he was doing.

He came back just as unobtrusively despite being half covered in blood, using the shadows and largely diverted attention as cover, an evidence bag in one gloved hand and a small grapple-style hook in the other. Kaito saw plastic pearls and wire… and pain.

He slid away from the general awareness of people around him with a subtle shift in body-language and made his way back to the detective. "I'm sorry," he murmured, feeling the need to speak it aloud.

"I thought I could stop this from happening," Shinichi breathed out. "I thought… but something changed, and only 'where' and 'how' stayed the same."

"She'd only planned 'where' and 'how'," Kaito realized, "She hadn't planned '_when_' beyond '_today_'_._"

"I'd forgotten that the timing had been chance," Shinichi admitted. "I'd forgotten—because the past is always set in stone, right? You can't change it once it's happened, and I was treating something that _hadn't_ happened yet as something that _had._"

"We both were," Kaito agreed, glancing towards the entrance to the ride as Megure walked in, closely followed by forensics and Takagi.

Takagi spotted them first and his shocked gasp rang out over the relative quiet, "Kudo-san! Are you all right?"

Every eye turned to where the two had been using deeper shadows to hide the color staining Shinichi's clothes and hair, and Kaito realized that Shinichi's defeated lean against the wall could be taken as something else just as Megure joined Takagi's quick approach and many other voices started up in the crowd.

"I'm fine," Shinichi stated, strong and level, quieting the murmurs and slowing the two police officers' approach from 'scared' to 'brisk'. "We were trying not to draw attention to it, but I was directly under the track when the cars came out of the tunnel. The death must have been caused in one stroke at the end of the tunnel; that kind of bleeding is very brief and only happens with instantaneous decapitations."

"You weren't on the ride?"

Shinichi shook his head, lowering his voice. "We were on our way here; Ran, Kaito, and I were planning on riding it, but…" a generalized gesture indicated the entire mess. "Anyway, you'll find a bloody knife in that young woman's purse," he indicated the attempted frame-target. "She won't know how it got there. The blood will not belong to the dead man; it might not even be human."

"How do you know?" Takagi asked, intrigued.

"The other young woman, the gymnast?" he ignored the soft question of "Gymnast?", just wanting to get the whole mess over with. "She planted the knife. She had a very long false-pearl necklace at the beginning of the ride. You will note she is not wearing it now." Shinichi passed the evidence bag to Megure, then handed over the small grapple. "The wire was attached to the hook, but I couldn't fit both in the bag and considering the fact that I am covered in the victim's blood, it seemed prudent to minimize potential contamination."

"… Is there a way to confirm the pearls belong to the young lady?"

"She was planning a murder, Megure-keibu," Shinichi sighed heavily, pushing himself straight. "She would have been highly emotional—as a gymnast, she undoubtedly knew how to visibly mask nerves for the sake of performances, but her palms would have been sweaty. She had to take the necklace off and unwind it with her hands and sweat-types are easy to match. I noticed a few new nicks on her fingers, too, there could be some of her blood on the wire, but even if there isn't… well, she's the only one who _could_ have done it."

"What do you mean?" Takagi inquired, eyes intent on Shinichi's face.

"She's a _gymnast_. Her hands and the way she moves are obvious enough, even from this distance—I'd go so far as to say professional level. Physically speaking, she's the only one from that group who would have been able to pull off the act required to get that wire around the victims neck from any seat within two rows, and no one else had the weapon or the ability."

"Could you describe in more detail, Kudo-kun?" Megure asked.

"Kaito?"

"Right," Kaito handed over the photos he'd swiped from the booth, snapped with the automatic camera at the beginning of the tunnel.

"See here?" Shinichi indicated the relative positions; she'd chosen the seat two cars in front of her target again (must have been planned), though the overall positions were different. "There's a small bag behind her legs—not allowed on the coasters unless they are waist-packs that clip on securely—and too much space between her and the security bar. Even I could slide out of that and use it as a foot-brace to lean over the empty seat and loop something around that person's neck, but very few have the skill to do it quickly or on a moving platform. Less than eight seconds in the tunnel; she had to work fast. She's wearing a loose enough jacket that she could easily have hidden a bag that size behind her in order for the personnel to think the bar was positioned properly. She must have slid it out from behind her before entering the tunnel—the camera is right at the entrance—and you can see her lifting the necklace she was wearing."

"That's… solid evidence," Megure agreed, right as a call came from forensics across the set of ropes that marked the individual coaster-car lines. "I'll take care of this. You'll need to come in to give a statement… but I think we can let you go home and clean up, first."

"Are you going to autopsy the guy after you collect his head?" Kaito asked.

"His head isn't in the actual tunnel," Shinichi interjected. "I saw it while I was getting the murder weapon, but it was caught in one of the fake rocks below the tunnel exit. It's in a position where it would be impossible to see from below, thankfully, but… I didn't really think it was a good idea to climb after it, considering."

"Ah, thank you, Kudo-kun, that saves us a search. As for the autopsy… we have a very obvious cause of death, so unless the family asks for one, no."

Kaito grimaced, "Can you at least run a basic disease check on his blood? If Shinichi's going to end up in the hospital again, I'd rather it happened _before_ anything turned life-threatening."

Megure blinked twice and Takagi winced, "He's got a point, Keibu. Kudo-san hasn't fully recovered."

Shinichi offered a wry grimace, "That obvious, huh?"

The officer smiled slightly, "You seem… well. Tired."

"Not able to keep up a front, you mean," Shinichi interpreted. He waved off the embarrassed wince, "It's all right, Takagi-keiji. It's true, after all. Right now, all I want is a _vacation_."

"Shinichi, my lovely, dear, _cursed_ detective? Every 'vacation' you have ever gone on has involved you solving at least one major crime, usually a murder, and occasionally some sort of elaborate 'kill them all' plot."

"Would 'time off' be a better request, then?"

Kaito hummed thoughtfully, "Or we could go to Russia or Alaska or Canada or something and take that vacation out where there are no other people within a hundred miles. You'd still probably have to solve a murder in the airport or something, but we could buy you a break by virtue of lack of possible targets."

"Mm," Shinichi leaned back against the wall, eyes slipping closed. "That would be nice. Not Russia, though; my Russian's _terrible_."

Megure eyed the two boys thoughtfully, his gaze focusing more on Shinichi, then he straightened, "Takagi-kun, please take Kudo-kun and Kuroba-kun to get cleaned up," he glanced towards the entrance, where Sato and Ran were making their way around the edge of the crowd. "I'll get ride with Sato-kun and see to it that Ran-kun gets home safely."

Kaito watched, impassive, as Megure told forensics and the junior officer holding the woman who was staring at a bloody knife to let her go and arrested the actual culprit. Her half-mad (stupid) story of _why_ was barely audible from this distance, but he knew it either way. She'd killed a man for what? A fit of depressed jealousy?

With that murder, she'd hurt Shinichi… even the first time he'd been hurt, Kaito knew, because the deaths around him _always_ hurt Shinichi, no matter how he pretended otherwise. Now, though, she had literally doused Shinichi in the blood of a man he'd wanted to—been _trying_ to—save.

This was one of those hurts that wouldn't heal so easily, even without the physical reflection of what the detective already felt. (Blood on his hands, even if it _wasn't_ his fault, his doing, his responsibility_._)

Kaito's gaze shifted back towards Shinichi, and he had to close his own eyes at the muted anguish he saw written in face and stance.

Mei-chan the pretend-pigeon was already settled into her roost for the night, ready for the hidden camera to start catching evidence on the Black Organization. They didn't need to be here—in fact, it would probably be better if they _weren't._

"Come on, Shin-chan," ignoring the blood, he tugged Shinichi away from the wall, "Let's go."

_xxxx_

_*From what I've read, Saturday school is a thing in Japan, a half-day with only Sunday as an actual day off. Also, I don't recall there being a specific day of the week named in the Anime for Shinichi getting poisoned, so I just picked one that seemed like it might fit._


	15. Chapter 14

_._

**_Chapter 14_**

Takagi pulled the unmarked police car to a halt in front of the Kudo mansion and turned it off, "Ano… I can just wait here for you."

"You may as well come in, Takagi-keiji," Shinichi refuted, moving to enter the code to unlock the gate as Kaito grabbed the day-bag they'd taken to the amusement park. "Kaa-san shouldn't be back yet, so it's safe enough."

"Ano…" the police officer seemed a little confused, "Safe… because your mother isn't here?"

"Yukiko-chan is… an _experience,_" Kaito informed. "I mean, I like playing pranks and all, but Shinichi's mom is kind of scary, really. She likes causing extreme terror."

"Whereas Kaito usually settles for startling and embarrassing," Shinichi managed a wan smile, "Kai, do you mind handling introductions? I _really_ need a shower."

"Yuusaku-san in his lair?"

"Probably," Shinichi pushed the front door open and kicked his shoes off to the side, deciding to wash them later. The blood had mostly hit his upper torso and head, but… well, he couldn't just throw the shoes away; they were the only kick-enhance pair he had at the moment. Then again, there was a decent chance that they hadn't gotten blood on them at all. He wondered if Luminol was excessive as a method of checking.

"Mm, I'll get Takagi-keiji settled in the library and go find him, then. Go ahead and start getting cleaned up—I'll grab a set of clothes for you in a few minutes."

Shinichi didn't even try to hide the relief he felt, "Thanks." Shower. _Hot_ shower. Gods, but he was tempted to use _bleach._ The clothes were getting burned.

_xxxx_

Kaito settled Takagi in the library with a cup of still-fresh coffee (which Yuusaku was at least as addicted to as his son) and went to gather the writer from his lair.

"Ah, Kaito," Yuusaku tilted his head in silent question.

"The Tropical Land thing didn't… quite happen like we wanted it to."

Yuusaku snapped to attention, halfway to his feet before Kaito could even begin to elaborate.

"Not—Shinichi's fine! Well, physically, anyway," Kaito amended. "The murder happened earlier than last time. We forgot that she hadn't planned the timing beyond the day; that it had happened when Shinichi was on the ride was _chance_. We were walking under the track where it crosses the path just outside the tunnel and Shinichi… um. He got drenched with arterial spray."

Yuusaku grimaced, "That… does not sound either pleasant or safe."

"I know. He's showering—Takagi-keiji drove us here from Tropical Land. I left him in the library. I'd be more hospitable, but I think I should check on Shinichi. He's… well. Shaken."

"Take care of my son," Yuusaku agreed, "I'll go see to our guest."

Kaito breathed out, relieved. "Thanks, Yuusaku-san."

Yuusaku paused in the motion of stepping around the desk, "Kaito… I know you won't want to call me 'Tou-san', but…"

The magician blinked. He hadn't expected this—or, rather, not so quickly. He had eventually settled on Chichiue, before, for all that the formality was beyond what he'd normally use. It had started out as something between a joke and genuine 'second father' feeling, a teasing reply to something that was so over-the-top formal that Kaito had responded in mocking kind.

Well, that little joke was no longer a _shared_ memory, but Kaito had it nonetheless. "Saa… well, then, Chichiue, I'm off."

_xxxx_

"Damn it, Shin-chan," Kaito murmured, shucking his own shirt when the detective made no move to either answer or remove himself from the shower's spray. Shinichi's bathroom looked like a smoke bomb had gone off in it the instant Kaito had cracked open the door and cooler air hit stiflingly hot.

Kaito tapped on the textured glass of the shower door, "Shinichi, I'm coming in if you don't answer me."

The hitched breath didn't count, Kaito decided, and he made good on his warning, turning off the water and stepping in to bodily haul the fever-hot detective out. Only the fact that Shinichi had apparently been trying to poach himself like an egg via shower kept Kaito from panicking.

This was worrying, yes, but it was a very different kind of worry. The longer Shinichi had been forced to deal with at least one person being murdered near him a week_,_ the more he'd just… cracked. Not like madmen cracked, either, and not like people who'd lost faith that other people _could_ be good (because somehow Shinichi always maintained that faith). No, it was like… like sculpted glass inside a metal cage, little cracks where he was just breaking a bit more inside with every death, with every _loss._ Tiny cracks, spiderwebbing out and slowly spreading. (Like someday he might just shatter.)

That he'd hoped to save someone when he'd seen the death coming, where he'd _known_ ahead of time and been unable to stop it…

It was bad enough with him only having suspected, of not having witnessed proof beforehand, and been unable to be certain of when, where, or how. This… this was so much worse. They'd _known_, and it had been a mistake, a _simple_ oversight, that kept them from setting up a preventive measure that could have worked.

Kaito had it easier. He didn't take as _personally_ as Shinichi did. That he hadn't been able to stop it due to forgetting a detail… yeah, okay, that was something he was going to learn from. But he wasn't responsible for the death and he didn't _feel_ responsible for it.

Shinichi obviously did. If it came down to it, Shinichi had said (more than once) that a detective who cornered a suspect with their words and did not prevent the suspect from committing suicide was a murderer. That was _not true._

If the detective saw the suicide coming, maybe, but oversights, accidents, good acting—Shinichi always tried to save people, even killers, and even at the risk of his own life. He wasn't a murderer. He had never been. Never _would_ be.

But it was quite clear he felt he shared the same guilt when someone died on his watch.

He didn't know when he'd bundled Shinichi into the softest towel he'd been able to find or when he'd managed to get them from the attached bathroom into Shinichi's bedroom, but he realized he was sitting the still-unresponsive detective on the bed mid-motion.

He ran his fingers through Shinichi's wet hair in a quick check—good, no trace of blood. He didn't have to worry about his skin, Shinichi'd all but scrubbed raw under that scalding water. "Hey. You in there?"

A slow blink and Shinichi turned his head with drunken sluggishness.

"Slightly better," Kaito sighed. It wasn't often that Shinichi had these blank-outs, and then only after something had hit harder than usual. Kaito's own breakdowns… well, they tended to be both more spectacular and quicker to deal with. Shinichi always knew just how to logic him out of them.

Unfortunately, inescapable logic was Shinichi's area of expertise, not Kaito's. "Right, Shinichi? I need you to talk to me, okay?"

Shinichi blinked again, then nodded, looking a bit more aware.

"What hurts?" Because something had to.

"Head," Shinichi admitted after a moment.

"You did just try to steam-broil yourself alive," Kaito returned, "Heat-headache is to be expected. Unless you hit it?"

Negative gesture, "No. Just… _tired._"

Not only in the physical sense, either, and it was blatantly obvious. "Any actual burns or just the lobster-effect?"

"I think I'm okay," Shinichi murmured, glancing at the pile of clothes at the foot of the bed reluctantly.

"Right," Kaito picked up the neatly folded clothes and pointedly put them back in the dresser, throwing over a set of pajamas instead. "You, stay. I'll be right back."

The lack of protest was very telling and Kaito grimaced as he made his way to the library.

Takagi started to stand as Kaito stepped into his line of sight, but the magician waved him back. "I think," he said carefully, "that it would be best if you give me Megure-keibu's number. I don't want to have to dial 110* for an appointment."

Takagi frowned, "Is something wrong?"

"How's Shinichi?" Yuusaku stood up, turning to face Kaito—watching his reactions for further information, no doubt.

"He's exhausted," Kaito reported, "Headache, though he didn't say how bad, and slow to respond. While he probably _could_ give a statement, I'd rather not push it."

Yuusaku didn't look satisfied, but Kaito slid his eyes to the policeman making his way over from the other couch and the writer nodded slightly.

"Here," Takagi showed the contact listed in his phone and Kaito copied it into his own before calling the mobile number.

He took several steps back as he listened, removing himself to a polite distance. Two rings.

"_This is Megure._"

"Megure-keibu, it's Kuroba Kaito. Is it possible to put off the statement until tomorrow?"

"_Health-related?_"

"Unfortunately," Kaito confirmed. "Has the bloodwork been done?"

"_They're expecting preliminary results within another half-hour. I'll call you as soon as we have them._" Slight hesitation, "_I hope Kudo-kun gets well soon._"

Kaito sighed, shoulders slumping, "Yeah, me too. Afternoon all right for the statement? Barring other emergencies, anyway?"

"_Aa, is two all right?_"

"Should be fine," Kaito agreed. "I need to go, but I'll keep my phone on hand."

"_All right. Send Takagi-kun back to us, will you? Sato-kun is terrorizing the forensics team and I'd like him to run damage control._"

"Will do," Kaito smiled, shaking his head fondly as he snapped his phone closed. Apparently Sato-san had always been a bit scary when she was after something. "Ah, Takagi-keiji? Megure-keibu has requested your presence. Something about damage control with forensics."

"Ah… hah, right."

"I'll see you to the door, Takagi-san," Yuusaku murmured, glancing back at Kaito questioningly.

Kaito shook his head and flicked his fingers, momentarily forgetting that Yuusaku wouldn't understand the sign. He shook himself, "Sorry, habit. I'm going to go back upstairs. Chichiue, where do you keep the thermometer?"

"Hallway bathroom, first aid kit under the sink."

Kaito nodded. He doubted he would need it, but… well, better to know where it was just in case.

_xxxx_

_*The emergency numbers in Japan are 110 for police and 119 for ambulance and fire (unlike the U.S. 911 as a general catch-all)._


	16. Chapter 15

_So, I spent the last several hours in front of a computer screen (yeah, I shouldn't do that) and have managed to wrangle up another short-ish chapter. The next several are planned more extensively than the whole of the story but not yet written. (The whole of the story is outlined, if that makes anyone feel better.)_

_As I am still at the neighbor's and am probably going to be for quite some time, I will probably continue to answer reviews and PMs in a slightly more timely manner than just Mondays. I'm going to try for an actual updating schedule of Mondays and Thursdays, but I can't guarantee the Thursdays every week._

_**Chapter 15**_

Kaito closed his eyes, snapping his phone shut and sending a silent prayer of thanks to whatever god had spared them. The murdered man's blood had turned up clean so far, which meant they were probably safe on that front.

Shinichi, Kaito had drugged into a sleep too deep for dreams. That whole mess settled for the moment, he turned his thoughts to the blackmail deal going down behind the cement-block bathroom in Tropical Land. Mei-chan and the camera covered the majority of the area, focusing mainly on the well-sheltered corner where the deal had been settled 'before'.

The fact that they weren't in the Kid workshop meant they couldn't actively watch or use the remote zoom and focus functions, but the whole thing was being recorded and would continue to record until Kaito switched it off.

Mei-chan would fly home in the morning; well-trained as she was, she was still a dove and would seek safety when strangers started moving about during daylight, probably assuming (correctly) that the assignment was over.

Kaito sighed, tilting his head back against the bed from where he sat on the floor beside it. It felt like he was doing a lot of waiting these days. After so long of panic and running and being unable to stop for long without being caught and driven out with bullets or bombs, waiting was… strange.

Strange and _unnerving_. Relative safety should not feel so much like _threat._

His mind rationally knew that he and Shinichi were currently safe from the syndicate. The only times he had to worry about black-clad gunmen were at heists. Shinichi had not been poisoned; Gin and Vodka hadn't even _seen_ either of them, much less labeled them as witnesses to be killed. Snake hadn't yet realized Kid's current identity.

Rationality, however, did not undo years worth of 'hunted' stress. It was, well… something like PTSD, he supposed. Perhaps less intense than it could have been, than it _would_ have been if Shinichi hadn't come back with him. But Shinichi _was_ with him, and even if they weren't being hunted, the Organization existed and they were already gathering evidence against it.

Even if they weren't yet needed, the paranoid habits developed over years of being hunted should probably be kept in practice. Spying on a criminal syndicate required a certain amount of discretion, after all, and figuring out the first instant said syndicate grew even slightly suspicious would require an awareness that at _least_ bordered on paranoia.

_xxxx_

The next morning, Shinichi and Kaito returned to the workshop and loaded the whole video (all too many hours of it) onto a flash drive, the only other file being a text document naming how many minutes into said video the actual deal started going down. Shorter clips of just the deal and a few minutes before and after were placed on three other drives and summarily hidden in two Kid safehouses and the Kudo mansion.

Now they just had to start setting up better surveillance overall. Start-point: heist.

"Who's me and who's Kid?" Kaito asked, making adjustments to a number of button-sized cameras he was going to set up across several rooftops so as to have a good chance of catching Snake on video.

"I think I should be you," Shinichi mused, setting up the base program that they would later use to link the cameras in to four different computers. They were setting up a lot of cameras, after all—grand total of twelve, three linked in to each of the four computers—and having all the cameras recording throughout the entire heist would likely result in at least some errors. So, they would only record when there was movement within range and several seconds afterwards. "As much fun as it would be otherwise, I _am_ better at redirecting and can do so from a reasonable distance. I may not be as good as you _now,_ but I'm pretty sure I'm as good as you were as a real high-school student, so I can both play you _and_ cover for… probably Kaa-san. Tou-san's a little tall to play me and isn't all that great an actor."

"Mm, point," Kaito set the camera he had been working on off to the 'completed' side and picked up the next, "We need to set up the meeting time with your parents and Jii-chan to work out a basic plan."

Shinichi hummed agreement, entering the last few lines of code. "Think I'm finished, here. We can test-run at the park tonight."

"The one in Beika, you mean?"

"Mm," Shinichi rolled his shoulders and pushed away from his laptop, waiting for the program to download onto yet another flash drive. "It's about the same distance from here as the heist, and the lower altitude will actually make it harder for the signal to get through the city, so if it works from the park it'll work from near the heist."

"Good point. Two more to go and I'll be ready."

"Right. I'll go make us breakfast," Shinichi stood, pulling the flash drive out after he got the 'safe to eject media' message and pocketing it. "Any requests?"

"Tea," Kaito decided. "I don't care what you do for food, but for some reason I'm craving tea."

Shinichi shook his head, a fond smile quirking the corner of his mouth, "There are," he pointed out against Kaito's baffled declaration, "worse things to crave."

_xxxx_

"Why?" Kaito half-wailed, dropping the western-style breakfast sandwich in his right hand back on his plate to cradle his steaming cup of tea in both hands instead.

Shinichi blinked at him, amused at the dramatics. "This again?" Considering they hadn't actually had the means to make proper tea for years, he hadn't seen it in a while, but still.

"Why—no, _how?_ How is it that when _you_ make tea it's really good and when _I_ make tea it's either pathetic or bitter? I've even tried _timing_ it!"

"Because you try too hard," Shinichi informed. "You know this."

Kaito pouted, sipping from his cup with a sound that was half pleased hum and half disgruntled huff.

"If you ever just used a white teapot and kept an eye on the color, you could get used to making it the way you actually like it until you could do it with any teapot."

"We don't _have_ a white teapot!"

Shinichi almost didn't dignify that with an answer. They hadn't had a teapot at all for the six years they'd been running, but not having a white teapot while _not_ running was one of those things that would be really easy to fix. "You just like it because I make it, don't you?"

"Well, no… I don't like it _because_ you make it," he flushed a little, feeling silly, "I just like you to make it."

Shinichi leaned back in his chair, sipping his tea contemplatively and remembering a comment from years before about Chikage and Aoko and tea. "Makes you feel more like family?"

Kaito blinked, surprised, then considered the half-question. "Huh. Hadn't really thought of it that way," he admitted. "I just thought it was nice, but… yeah, you're right."

Shinichi finished his tea and set the cup aside, "Good enough for me," he announced, standing to take his plate to the sink, "I don't actually mind making tea, and if you're only going to drink it when I'm here, anyway…" he shrugged one shoulder.

Kaito stayed silent for a long moment, watching Shinichi with a strangely intent expression before he suddenly set his tea down and got up to wrap his arms around Shinichi's chest in a tight hug. He'd known Shinichi cared (of course he'd known, it was blatantly obvious), but that Shinichi was willing to do ridiculously domestic things like _make tea_ just because it made Kaito happy…

"Thank you," …it had not been the kind of thing he'd dared to hope for. Shinichi was right—it may not have been what Kaito had once envisioned, but…

Shinichi huffed out a breath, "Ba'arou," he scolded gently, returning the hug. "We've been family for a long time, now." He let the hug linger a few more seconds before pushing Kaito back, "Go finish your breakfast. We've got things to do."

The smile was _blinding._

_xxxx_

"Everyone got it?" Kaito bounced lightly on his toes, enjoying his teen springiness. He'd _missed_ that as he'd gotten older.

Yukiko grinned brightly, "Hai! I'll be working with my lovely Shin-as-Kai-chan!"

"You should probably hang out with us for the rest of the day," Shinichi admitted reluctantly. "You'll get a better grasp on how we interact that way. We've swapped places often enough that I'm going to have it easy, but… well, you haven't seen me in what equates to eighteen years."

Yukiko frowned slightly, then nodded understanding and brightened visibly. "Oh, you'll have to tell me what's been going on since you two got married! I want to know _everything._"

"Most of it isn't actually very fun," Kaito muttered, casting a glance at Shinichi and frowning at what he saw. Shinichi looked distracted, and considering the lack of unsolved cases currently requiring his input… Obvious conclusion? The previous day.

All right, time to pull a 'Cheer Up Shin-chan' operation! "Yukiko-kaa-san! Lunch is on me—we're going to Ginza*!"

_xxxx_

Ginza Crystal Building had been an obvious distraction ploy and actually had involved a pleasant lunch… it was leaving and walking towards the Sukiyabashi pedestrian crossing below that things went predictably pear-shaped.

Well. Sort of predictably. Nobody actually got murdered.

A car went where cars _really_ weren't supposed to go and clipped two people before catching Kaito's hip as he had to physically intervene for an elderly third, but by that last it had managed to shed most of its speed and everyone was relatively unhurt when the ambulance came. Also slightly unusual when anywhere near Shinichi—it was a genuine accident. The guy had apparently suffered an absence seizure* while driving and his brain clicked back on way too close to scattering pedestrians to entirely stop.

Kaito and Shinichi had leapt for opposite sides of the runaway vehicle the instant it left the street and used a lot of high-test fishing line to yank the slower people out of the way, only able to bodily snag a few and saving that for those that the fishing line would be dangerous for. Bruises and scrapes abounded, but aside from the two actually clipped by the car before either of the teens could intervene (one bad sprain and a hairline fracture, it was later reported), no one had any injuries that would even slow them down.

After a thorough questioning of the driver during which he blanked once—thus revealing the cause of the accident—they sent him to the hospital as well.

"Probably med-related," Shinichi mused to the nearest police officer, glancing at the contents of the glovebox. "That prescription is dated today. If it was his first time taking it, it could explain the seizures."

"Oh," the officer picked up the bottle in gloved hand, more out of adherence to standard procedure than actual necessity as it had been deemed an accident, "I hadn't noticed the date. Ano…"

Shinichi sighed, glancing at where Kaito was curiously prodding at his own hip, probably assessing the extent of the damage, "They're not evidence at a crime scene—this was an accident. I think you should get those to the hospital so they can check them against his bloodwork."

Kaito caught Shinichi's gaze and flicked his hands through a brief report, 'Wide but mild bruise. Will probably fade completely in a few days; will be back to full mobility within three hours.'

Shinichi's tension eased.

"Ah…" the man looked at him for a moment, then nodded, "Yes, I suppose that would be safest. I'll need to let the inspector know, but I'll get them over right away."

"Hey, Shin-chan?"

"Yes, Kaa-san?" Shinichi replied, glancing warily at the woman grinning brightly in his direction while the officer took his leave.

"You and Kai-chan did a great job!"

Shinichi blinked.

"Hey, Shinichi," Kaito was starting to grin, too. "Did you _see_ that?"

"We saved them," Shinichi realized aloud; a slow, relieved smile curving his lips. "Nobody died."

Kaito's ploy had worked better than he could have hoped. Something had happened, and _nobody died_.

_**xxxx**_

_*Ginza is an actual district in Tokyo, I picked it semi-randomly from a Bing'd list of Tokyo districts (which, by the way, neither Ekoda nor Beika actually are. As those are the only two DC Tokyo districts actually named that I have been able to find, I'm hauling out real names so I don't have to try to make them up. Ginza was selected because the description contained 'upper market shopping district' and a specific mention of restaurants. Crystal Building apparently has several restaurants and cafes in it and a very large pedestrian crossing right in front of it. I have never been to Tokyo, or any other place in Japan, so I'm taking a tourist website's word for it. The picture seemed 'bright' enough that Kaito would like it as possible distraction central.)_

_*Absence seizures are not what generally first come to mind with the word 'seizure'. I suffered these for several months after my fever, but they lessened and eventually stopped altogether, not reoccurring when I got taken off the medication I'd been given for them. They were… disorienting, from my end. It was like I'd blink and there would be too much time missing. Like the clock skipped ahead and I just somehow didn't notice. Basically, mental blank-outs. You're not aware of anything until your higher brain functions turn back on. They can be caused by a lot of things, most of which have to do with damage (traumatic brain injury being one of the more common, but fever is apparently somewhere on the list and so is drug-induced damage) but allergic reactions can cause them as well._


	17. Chapter 16

_Ami-chan: In response to your confusion, it may be in part to not having English as a first language, considering the difference in grammar against a lot of other languages. Gallery13 summed it up pretty well in a review responding to your review, but I'll reiterate here:_

_Kaito noticed Shinichi being distracted when there were no active cases to distract him. Thus, something had to be bothering him. Since the only thing that had happened 'recently' that would be bothering him was the case the day before, Kaito concluded that Shinichi needed to be cheered up. (The pictures I saw of Crystal Building in Ginza made me think of Kaito-style cheeriness, and since Crystal Building is supposed to have several small restaurants and cafes inside, it seemed like a good candidate for location. The fact that it has a relatively famous and very large pedestrian crossing right in front of it was a bonus.)_

_On another note: Hyde Park does exist. I didn't pay attention to Haido as a DC city, though now that it's been mentioned, I do recall the use of it._

**_Chapter 16_**

The significantly brighter mood lasted until two rolled around, when Shinichi had to give his statement about the murder at Tropical Land to Megure and fill out the usual paperwork. Kaito was just grateful that, while the mood had darkened considerably, Shinichi clearly still had the 'nobody died' thing to hold on to.

"Can we just go home for a while?" Shinichi asked as they were leaving the precinct.

Kaito glanced at him, shrugging one shoulder. "Sure. Which?"

"Black, I think, though we should probably detour past white for equipment."

Well, good. Shinichi was thinking clearly. Quiet, but not back in that depressed headspace from the night before. "Right. Let's go, then."

_xxxx_

Nighttime camera tests ranked out at success, which meant no last-minute programming or equipment overhauls were needed, and Yuusaku and Yukiko were more than willing to help Jii set up on rooftops around the heist site while Shinichi and Kaito went to school, which in turn meant everything was handled for later.

It was only Shinichi's quiet air of… not _depression,_ exactly, but resignation that had Kaito concerned.

Shinichi had gotten a nightmare—not unusual, they both suffered them; and considering the lack of drugging and how heavily the damn Tropical Land case was weighing on the detective's mind, not unexpected, either. Shinichi's waking cry of Kaito's name in the dark hours of the morning had made it fairly obvious what the nightmare was about, if not exact content, and Kaito had handled it the only way he could.

Lights on and the physical reassurance of an unrelenting hug-turned-cuddle had eventually settled them both back to sleep despite the fact that Kaito's bed was really not designed for two people, but school was clearly going to be involving a lot of Shinichi's Poker Face.

_xxxx_

It was a bright morning, twelve minutes and fifty-three seconds before class was supposed to start, and, aside from a few brave souls whispering to each other, it was quiet.

Kuroba was fidgeting.

Ordinarily, Hakuba would not find this particularly alarming—well, no more so than usual, anyway—but Kuroba was back in his own seat and alternating between glancing around the classroom and scanning Kudo's back with a worried expression.

He hadn't made any moves at pranking anyone, even though class hadn't started and Kudo had only banned him from _during_ class chaos. Hakuba glanced over at him again, then followed the magician's gaze to Kudo. He didn't _look_ like there was anything wrong, at least not from the angle Hakuba was at, unable to see the Heisei Holmes'* face.

"Kaito," Kudo's voice cut through the too-silent classroom, where the majority of the early students were afraid to speak for the possibility of drawing a restless Kuroba's attention. "If you don't stop that, _I'm_ going to get twitchy."

"Ah, right. Sorry," Kuroba switched to tapping erratically on his desk, glaring at his fingers.

Kudo leaned forward and covered his face with one hand, "Kaito… you're worried, I get it. Stop rambling. I'm _fine._"

So… that tapping _was_ whatever language they'd worked out.

Whispers circuited the edges of the classroom where the five other early students huddled in two groups. No doubt gossip on the worry, and Hakuba was hesitant to guess what exactly the worry was for. "Is… something wrong?"

"No," Kudo huffed, lowering his hand to tap his own message against his desktop. "Kaito's just being paranoid."

"It's not paranoia when the world really _is_ out to get you."

Kudo twisted in his seat, leveling the most exasperatedly unimpressed look Hakuba had seen to date on the magician. "Kaito. His bloodwork turned up clean and I'm _fine._"

"Rain of blood. To _face._" Another series of taps.

Kudo sighed sharply, "His bloodwork turned up _clean_. No diseases aside from one that is _impossible _to transmit to others without being a genetic parent," Kudo's own fingers skittered across Kuroba's desktop, leaving a trail of intermittent sound.

Kuroba slumped, "I know. I _do._ I just…"

"Worry," Kudo smiled, a little wan. "I know. Don't we have other things to worry about, though? My mother is in town and _she_ _knows where we go to school_. She behaved herself last time, but do you _really_ expect two reprieves in a row?"

Kuroba blinked twice and leaned back, paling a bit. "Ano… I'd forgotten about that…"

Hakuba found _himself_ twitching at that. "Dear lord, that's terrifying," he muttered.

Kudo looked at him. "Hakuba-kun?"

"Sumimasen*," Hakuba shook his head, "It's just… Kuroba looks worried."

"Ah, well… Kaa-san is a bit… _intense_," Kudo acknowledged.

"… Is your mother the one who decided to marry you two off?"

That got the attention of everyone in the classroom, including Nakamori and Momoi (who had barely gotten in the door).

"I wouldn't put it past her," Kudo muttered. "She does the _strangest_ things."

"If by 'strange' you mean 'traumatically terrifying'," Kuroba shuddered. "I didn't even recognize her in that disguise and she pulled out a gun and _shot at me_ while _smiling!_"

Kudo coughed, "To be fair, I shot at you the first time we met, too."

_Wait_, _what?_ Hakuba blinked. From the sudden silence around the room, he wasn't the only one—the teacher had frozen in the doorway. He'd known that Kid had been behind a screen that Kudo had shot at during the Clock Tower heist, but that _couldn't_ have been their first meeting.

"No, you shot _past_ me, as a crack-shot seven-year-old," Kuroba protested. "You weren't trying to _kill me!_"

_Crack-shot __**seven-year-old!?**_ Who the hell had Kudo been _raised_ by?

"Neither was Kaa-san," Kudo pointed out. "She was just welcoming you to the family, so to speak."

"… Your mom has very strange habits."

"How did you _think_ I learned to doge bullets?" The casually raised eyebrow was a bit unnerving.

"Ah…. hah, I kind of thought it was from chasing murderers…"

"Kaito, really, if it _had_ been, I wouldn't have lived long enough to learn. Kaa-san just shoots _close_ until you learn to dodge."

"What happens if you dodge the wrong way?" Kuroba's tone was morbidly curious.

Hakuba started wondering about what constituted child abuse in Japan.

"Maa, she doesn't aim for the torso unless she's put you in Kevlar. You might end up with a few grazes, though. I certainly did."

"Ano…"

Hakuba kind of felt the same way as the teacher looked, halfway between shocked and nervous.

Kudo blinked and glanced at the algebra teacher frozen in the doorway, "Ah, yes, Sensei? Is it class time already?"

"Ah… hai…" she glanced around, a bit nervous.

Kudo pulled out his math text, apparently unconcerned by the fear he'd just inflicted on everyone else in the room.

Kuroba's unease at the thought of Kudo's mother suddenly made a terrifying amount of sense, Hakuba reflected, silently resolving to stay as far away from the woman as possible. It really hadn't sounded like Kudo was joking. There was something else troubling about that conversation, though…

_xxxx_

"Kudo-senpai," Hakuba's voice was cautious when he turned towards Shinichi when the first break rolled around, "Did you really shoot at Kuroba when you were seven?"

"Well, no, not exactly," Shinichi shrugged, "I _was_ aiming past him. Hit where I was aiming, too—he wasn't paying attention and was running towards—well. He would have ended up dead in three more steps and I was too far away to physically stop him and he was _completely_ ignoring yelling, so…"

"He grabbed a gun off some random police officer and cracked a shot off the sidewalk in front of me. I veered left instead going straight."

"And did _not_ get murdered," Shinichi finished.

"Hah, yeah, that guy would have gotten me if I'd gone straight a few more steps. It was funny, afterwards—he was this perfectly serious little mini-adult explaining his reasons and Tou-san started calling him 'elder brother'."

"I just about gave that officer a heart attack, too," Shinichi smirked, "I just ran into him and he didn't realize I'd taken his gun until I'd released the safety pulled the trigger."

"Do you realize your perspective on danger is severely skewed, Senpai?"

Shinichi returned his attention to Hakuba, "No, really? I never noticed."

"The sarcasm is strong with this one," Kaito teased.

"So I'm a little used to people shooting at me," Shinichi conceded.

"And _getting_ shot, and poisoned, and _stabbed_ that one time, and—"

Shinichi rather pointedly covered Kaito's mouth while the majority of the class turned to stare, "That's enough out of you. None of it has been particularly serious."

Kaito shook off Shinichi's hand, "If you hadn't been wearing the home-made good-luck charm that your paranoid friend forced on you, you would have _died._"

"It was a three-centimeter cut, Kai," Shinichi reminded. "The charm _did_ catch the knife."

"And two bruised ribs. He hit you _hard._"

Shinichi sighed, casting his eyes towards the ceiling briefly. "Occupational hazards notwithstanding, dear husband, I'm _fine,_ and he only managed to get close to me with a knife because I had a forty-degree fever."

"Yeah, well, there's a reason I don't like it when you get sick," Kaito grumped.

"Forty-nine seconds before next class," Hakuba informed.

"Right," Shinichi glanced back at Kaito again, "Hear that, _Kai-chan?_ You're missing your pranking opportunity."

Kaito's eyes widened, "No! I only have half a minute!"

The room erupted in smoke.

(No one suspected the sheer amount of half-truth they'd been fed both then and earlier and Hakuba was too distracted by the results of Kaito's mischief to think too hard on what he'd been told. Shinichi, as Edogawa Conan, had indeed snatched a gun and shot in front of Kaito-as-Kid during a heist that had occurred a little over a year after his initial transformation to Conan. Upon seeing Hakuba's confusion, a quick flick of fingers had Kaito reciting that story in something less than detail and splicing in pieces of other encounters.

The one time Shinichi _had_ met Kaito's father, the term 'younger brother' had been self-applied to thirty-some year old in reference to Shinichi as elder, inspired by Yuusaku's naming of Kid, but bringing up those memories… Well, time had dulled the edge, but even blunted edges could cause pain.)

_xxxx_

Hakuba mused over what he'd learned earlier that day as he settled into the crowd outside the office building that Kid had marked out as holding his next heist target. They still didn't know for certain what he was after—or, the police didn't. The description that Kuroba had given of what he was looking for had Hakuba certain that the current aim was the centerpiece of the displayed semiprecious stones.

None of the others were both large enough to potentially house a second gem and old enough to merit checking. He still thought the mysterious syndicate Kudo and Kuroba had crossed paths with was full of madmen to be looking for a _magic gemstone_, but the reoccurring snipers were hard to dispute.

Hopefully Kuroba was wearing Kevlar under that pretentious suit of his.

Familiar voices conversing at the edge of his hearing caught his attention—there, Kuroba and Kudo, walking towards the building. Both. Of _course_ both, they had to be seen at least entering together.

Hakuba's curiosity got the best of him and he followed despite the earlier warning and his own former intention to stay outside. What were they planning?

"Hey, Hakuba!" Kuroba waved him over after a reluctant Nakamori-keibu let him in.

"Hakuba-kun," Kudo offered a nod of greeting, maintaining the more familiar suffix he'd been using since agreeing to act as a teacher but otherwise sliding into a cool formality that Hakuba was already able to recognize as his 'public' face. "I was under the impression you weren't planning to be here in an official capacity?"

Hakuba grimaced briefly, the amused warning in that statement making him a bit uneasy. "I wasn't planning to be, no. But I was here anyway, and then I saw you two…"

"And you couldn't resist!" Kuroba bounced lightly, grinning. "I knew you think we're awesome!"

"It was really more 'morbid curiosity', I assure you."

Kudo flashed a smirk, "Well, if you're here anyway… care to start the countdown?"

Hakuba glanced at his watch and shrugged, noting there was indeed very little time before the heist officially started. He waited silently for another four seconds, then called out a half-minute warning.

Twenty-second wait, during which Kuroba's grin turned slightly more gleefully anticipatory and Kudo's smirk dissolved to something like resignation. "Ten, nine-"

Nakamori-keibu's last minute orders drowned out Hakuba's count, so he shrugged and fell silent, eying the duo curiously. Clearly, one of them was going to have to pull a disappearing act, but how would they hold off suspicion?

Smoke billowed out from the jewel display, pink-tinged in trademark Kid-style, and Hakuba kept his eyes glued to the two possible Kids in front of him. Neither had more than their ankles shrouded in smoke as they turned to face the source of the disturbance.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Kid's classic English greeting rolled over the assembled Taskforce, detectives, and solitary magician. "Tantei-san," Kid added, glancing at Hakuba briefly before his eyes slid to Kudo and Kuroba and his lips curved into a pleased smirk, "Ah, Meitantei-san, and you _did_ bring Magician-kun. Wonderful!"

Kid was kneeling on the still-shut display case, amethyst in one hand while the other tilted the brim of his hat down just a bit, accentuating the smirk. Hakuba managed not to openly gape, but he couldn't quite strangle back the gasp, producing a choked sound.

_Three._ Jawline, eye color, hair color, nose-shape—all identical to both Kudo and Kuroba. Inflection, bearing, smirk—different enough to throw off suspicion even if they weren't all _in the bloody same room_.

Kuroba was Kid. They'd _admitted_ that—what the hell was going on!?

"Kid-san," Kudo's own eyebrow quirked, "Your invitation was entertaining enough to warrant humoring you, but I have to wonder… do you know what you're getting into with the secondary invite to Kaito, here?"

"Well, I am a _gentleman,_ after all," Kid stood slowly, and Hakuba suddenly became aware of the muffled sounds coming from off to the side.

A quick glance showed Nakamori and the Taskforce in varying states of restraint, Nakamori and most of the other louder officers sporting a duct-taped mouths and it took another few seconds for the fact that Hakuba also had thoroughly taped arms to register.

"It would have been quite rude to invite only you, Meitantei-san, when you and Magician-kun are so newly married."

"Mm," Kudo shrugged one shoulder and sidestepped away from Kuroba, who was beginning to vibrate. "I warned Nakamori-keibu and Hakuba-kun, but I suppose you didn't hear. We took you up on your invitation, but… well, I believe the American expression is 'your funeral'."

The last two words being in English caught Hakuba slightly by surprise, more so when he registered the implied meaning—and that was right about when Kuroba covered the room in blue smoke and glitter.

A sense of motion beyond sight, sudden cursing (Nakamori-keibu), equally sudden freedom of movement instantly followed by a complete _lack_ of said freedom—

The smoke dissipated, and what was left in its wake was chaos beyond anything Kid had ever managed on his own.

_xxxx_

Twenty minutes later, Shinichi directed Kaito back to the room where the heist had started and tossed the pale amethyst at Nakamori-keibu's chest with a smirk while keeping a firm hand on Kaito's shoulder.

The head of the Kid taskforce tore himself free of the last bit of duct tape (bright blue and Shinichi's own doing while he'd been playing Kaito, directly after he had made it seem like Yukiko-as-Shinichi had freed the man) and snatched the stone from his shirt-pocket. Shinichi's smirk turned a little more smug—his aim had been perfect.

"_Never again_," Nakamori hissed, puffing up like a spiny blowfish. "You-you-you-"

"To be fair, Nakamori-keibu," Shinichi observed, carefully polite as he steered Kaito to a corner and planted him next to a remarkably untouched fichus tree, "I _did_ warn you that Kaito and I both was a bad idea. Kaito, stay. I need to see if Hakuba-kun needs therapy."

Nakamori sputtered incoherently, apparently completely beyond words.

Shinichi hid most of his amusement, pleased with the effects of the heist. His mother had slipped out in the confusion, unnoticed and away from camera-sights. The greater part of their faked 'three-way-war' had taken place within sight of varying lenses, Shinichi covering for his mother's complete lack of magician's skill and imitating Kaito's usual reckless humor all at once while Kaito stepped into his nighttime persona in a flawless performance.

The only thing left was Kid's place in the wrap-up the next afternoon.

_xxxx_

"Good morning, Hakuba-kun," Shinichi greeted, waving the other detective inside. "Questions about last night, I assume?"

Hakuba grimaced as he removed his shoes and set his school bag out of the way, "I'm afraid to ask, actually."

"Oooh, an _audience,_" Kaito poked his head out of the kitchen and grinned, then poofed himself into his Kid uniform with a puff of pink smoke and gave an exaggerated bow, presenting Shinichi with three business cards, two laminated. The first was the one he'd been given as a heist-pass with a red 'revoked' character printed over it.

The next two were more amusing.

**_Kudo Shinichi_**  
_Detective, challenger, and critic_  
_To be made welcome at any and all heists as hosted by_  
**_Kaitou Kid_**  
_Invitation excludes one Kuroba Kaito_

.

**_Kuroba Kaito_**  
_Magician, madman, and causer-of-mayhem_  
_To be made welcome at any and all heists as hosted by_  
**_Kaitou Kid_**  
_Invitation excludes one Kudo Shinichi_

Both were signed with a Kid doodle, though Shinichi's had a tiny soccer ball beneath it while Kaito's had an equally tiny playing card. Shinichi chuckled, passing them to a visibly curious Hakuba. "Cute," he informed. "Planning on setting up alternating heists?"

"Only until Nakamori-san tells me to stop," another poof of smoke had Kaito back in his school uniform. "It'll be fun!"

"You only get every third," Shinichi informed. "I don't want to break the poor man's mind."

Kaito tilted his head a bit, then shrugged. "Good point. Every third, then. We'll have to work on your magic tricks, though—I want to actually _be_ me at the heists I get."

"Ah… you weren't?" Hakuba asked cautiously, sounding somewhere between wary and relieved.

"Nah, I was Kid," Kaito grinned broadly at the suddenly even more nervous British detective, "Shin-chan was me."

"Then… who was Kudo-senpai?"

"Kaa-san played me," Shinichi tossed Kaito's bag in the magician's general direction and slung his own over his shoulder, ignoring Hakuba's startled glance as he picked up his shoes. "We should get going or we'll be late for school."

"Ah-ah! No, you haven't eaten, Shin-chan. Coffee does not count."

"School. Late."

"Eat on the way, then," Kaito gestured—not really necessary, for non-trick magic, but it helped with the focus—and dropped a fully-assembled sandwich out of the air in front of Shinichi.

Shinichi caught it with a startled thought, both hands otherwise occupied. "Kaito, I thought we agreed not to break any minds."

"You said 'police minds', and I never agreed."

Hakuba eyed the floating sandwich, took one step, and cautiously checked for something holding it up by cutting his hand across the space around it from all possible sides.

"You're not going to find anything," Shinichi sighed, "I didn't think you were quite up to dealing with certain aspects of reality just yet, but… well, looks like it's going to have to be addressed. We'll explain, but we _do_ have to get to school."

_xxxx_

"Err…" Kaito glanced sideways at the Brit across the narrow aisle, "Hakuba? You're looking a little… freaked out."

The blond detective shot him a glare that would probably have been more effective if it hadn't held traces of panic, "This morning—that was _impossible._"

Kaito coughed lightly, "Nothing is impossible."

"Some things are simply highly _improbable,_" Shinichi agreed. "Look, we'll explain the basics after school. It's not as… _illogical_ as it seems at first glance."

"I sincerely hope you mean that," Hakuba muttered, grimacing.

"We do," Kaito stated, still quiet but firm and actually managing reassuring, judging from the blond's shoulders losing a fraction of their visible tension. "Seriously, though, Hakuba… just focus on class for now. It'll be explained later."

"Right," Hakuba's expression indicated uncertainty, but Kaito figured that was the best they'd get for the moment.

Well, it was his own fault for slipping up and pulling a semi-complex magical transport in front of the guy.

_xxxx_

Shinichi sighed, leaning back against the wall after Hakuba left, still looking a little shell-shocked but at least no longer half-panicked. "Well. I suppose it had to happen sooner or later," he observed.

Kaito winced, "Sorry."

Shinichi shook his head, pushing away from the wall with a wry smile, "Nah. It _did_ have to happen; maybe he'll even be better at dealing with Akako from now on."

"One can hope," Kaito grinned.

"Well, either way," Shinichi glanced over at the magician, "You up to checking in at the precinct? We should probably show our 'heist passes'."

"Ooh, this'll be _fun!_"

_xxxx_

_*Heisei basically means 'modern day' and 'Heisei Holmes' is one of Kudo Shinichi's best-known media-nicknames in canon._

_*Sumimasen, literally translated, is 'sorry'. Gomen nasai (sometimes spelled out as one word and sometimes shortened to 'gomen') means something more like 'excuse me' or 'pardon me' and is often used as a way of saying 'I'm sorry'._

_xxxx_


	18. Chapter 17

.

**_Chapter 17_**  
_Or: The Nakamori Chapter_

Nakamori Ginzo glanced up as one of his officers tapped on the doorframe of his office, peeking into the open door nervously. "Sir? Kuroba-san and Kudo-san are here to see you."

Nakamori twitched, grimacing, the previous night's chaos and horror still fresh in his mind. "What about?"

"Ah, Kid apparently made contact with them earlier."

The head of the Kid Taskforce sighed, "Send them in."

He doubted Kid was looking for accomplices because Nakamori himself, Hakuba, and the Taskforce had only been caught in the fringes of the mass physics conniptions going down and that seemed more designed to keep them out of the way than anything. Going through the security tapes had revealed several things.

First, Nakamori now knew exactly why he had long harbored a reluctant, mostly-suppressed suspicion of Kaito being Kid. Seeing Kid, Kudo, and Kaito facing off in a triangle showed that the three had identical facial structure and coloring. Well, Kid—maybe not, because he might have a different forehead, considering the hat and monocle, but at least jaw, mouth, and nose shape were the same, plus eye color and probably hair color, though the hat and shadows made that last a little iffy.

As if the physical similarities weren't enough, Kaito's magician tricks showed a style very similar to Kid's, if perhaps a little less polished. Kudo's were also similar, though geared more towards self-defense, but as Kudo had probably learned from Kaito, that wasn't too surprising. After Kudo had first showed up, Nakamori had wondered if somehow _he_ were Kid (easier to believe that than Kaito, if still something he didn't _want_ to believe for Kaito's sake), so seeing all three of them as living, breathing (chaos-inducing) people in the same room was as much a relief as it was horrifying. And it had only become horrifying when smoke started to go everywhere. (Kudo tended towards dark grey when he wasn't redirecting someone else's, Kaito had used a baby blue, and Kid had stuck with his trademark pink—what a way to tell who was throwing smoke bombs.)

The second thing he'd learned… well, it was that Kid was no better at handling Kaito and Kudo combined than Nakamori had been. The instant the first blue smoke-bomb dropped, Kid's eyes had widened slightly and his dive for cover hadn't even been disguised as something else. Kudo had released a fair portion of the Taskforce with some kind of wire slashing through pink duct-tape and Kaito and Kid had immediately reapplied said tape—one with blue and the other pink. Kid had then made a break for it.

The cameras hadn't caught everything, but within three hallways Kid had lost all traces of his usual superiority in something that looked a lot like panic. By the sixty-third floor, he'd been desperate.

He didn't get all the way to the roof. Cornered in a hallway on the sixty-fourth, Kid had taken his chances with a closed window, hitting it with three shots from that card-gun of his to crack reinforced glass and going through with both arms protecting his face. His frantic escape had almost landed him face-first in the next skyscraper over before he'd made a twisting dive and disappeared into the night, without the gem that Kudo had relieved him of by the fiftieth floor.

The heist had started on the forty-eighth.

"Nakamori-keibu," Kudo's voice cut into his musings and he glanced up, waving Kudo and Kaito inside grumpily.

Kudo had the grace to look a bit sheepish, "Sorry about last night, Keibu," he rubbed the back of his head, "We got a bit carried away."

Kaito (of course) was not at all apologetic, "Aw, come on, Shin-chan! That was _awesome!_"

Nakamori pinched the bridge of his nose, forcing back his irritation. Yes, that had probably been the most humiliating heist ever for the Taskforce, as not a single member of the police had managed to take so much as a _step_ in Kid's direction and every single one of them—inside the building and out—had been tied up with pink tape at least once, but Kid had also very obviously suffered terror and humiliation. Possibly more than the Taskforce. "I've been informed Kid contacted you?"

"He—ah, presented us with these," Kudo held out a hand and Kaito pouted and passed him what looked like a business card while Kudo fished two more out of his shirt-pocket. He held out one while switching the second to lay overtop the one Kaito had handed him and Nakamori glanced down at the one he'd been handed.

He smirked, amusement curling over irritation. Kudo's initial invitation with Kaito's implied secondary had been revoked. Before he could come up with an appropriate response to that information, Kudo held out the other two, which were laminated.

Nakamori read them and couldn't hold back the snicker. He had to agree with Kid—those two at the same time were a _bad_ _idea_, but the thief's specifying that the invitation to one excluded the other was still funny. "I see it wasn't just my people you traumatized."

Kudo coughed into a fist, clearly embarrassed.

Nakamori handed back the two laminated business cards, "Well, as much as I hate to, I have to agree with Kid on one point. You two are _never_ to go to a heist together ever again."

Kaito pouted, "Shinichi says I can only have every third."

"You're still a force of chaos and much less likely to help the police than add to the confusion."

Nakamori silently agreed with that assessment. At least Kudo had been aiming with the obvious intent of at least slowing the thief down. Kaito had seemed more interested in trying to one-up his tricks. "Well, if that's settled…"

Kudo nodded.

"… then you two still need to come over for dinner. As there was a heist last night and Kid probably needs a bit of recovery time, I should be home early tonight. Are you free?"

Kaito grinned, "Sure! That'd be awesome, Nakamori-keibu!"

"Thank you," Kudo was more formal, offering a polite bow, "I know Kaito sees you as family, sir, and I think we should probably talk. There are some things… well, it would be easier if we clear the air."

So. Kudo had been serious about the former offer of explanation. "Perhaps you could tell me about some of the cases you've worked, as well," Nakamori half-asked as an attempted peace offering.

"I guess," Kudo murmured, glancing aside. Perhaps that hadn't been the best choice of conversation suggestion?

A little uncertain, Nakamori glanced at Kaito in hopes of a cue.

Kaito was looking at Kudo like… that was not a look he'd seen on Kaito. A deep-set concern, mostly hidden—_wait._ Interdepartmental gossip being what it was… he slid his gaze back to Kudo, mildly alarmed.

Kudo, who was no longer standing quite so tall, eyes looking at something in the middle distance. He'd heard that a murder at Tropical Land had involved Kaito and Kudo on-site, and while that was normal enough for Kudo as a homicide detective he'd worried for Kaito—but Kaito seemed fine. Well, mostly fine. Maybe a bit more subdued than usual…

"Are you both all right?" Cases, of _course_; Kudo worked _murders_, and someone had mentioned that the latest had been 'nasty', whatever that meant.

Kudo jerked his gaze back over, "What?"

"I'd heard there was a bad case you two got caught up in," Nakamori elaborated.

"I'm okay, Keibu," Kaito assured, offering a smile that was—not joking. Sincere, warm, quiet.

That was not concerning, but it _was_ distinctly different than he'd expected.

Kudo had winced. "I… yeah. I'm all right."

"Liar," Kaito scolded gently. "It hit harder than usual, and we both know it."

"Fine," Kudo rubbed his face with one hand, "I _will be_ all right."

Nakamori suddenly didn't know quite what to do, to _say._ He'd expected the uncaring attitude that was as well-known as Kudo's brilliance, not this sudden show of world-weariness that rivalled the oldest of the Division One veterans. "Right. Well, I hate to cut this short," No, he really didn't, because he was out of his depth with this one, "but if I want to get the rest of this finished in time for dinner, I should probably kick you out."

"See you tonight, Nakamori-keibu," Kaito nodded to him, tugging the other teen out of the room.

Nakamori watched them go, hiding a frown behind a scowl at his paperwork. Kaito was… calmer than usual, and there was a dynamic lying between him and Kudo that was unmistakably _there._ He'd been worried when Aoko had burst out about Kaito and arranged marriages and Kudo Shinichi a few weeks ago when he'd gotten home, but Kudo had been polite and well-mannered when he'd first shown up at the precinct after an acute illness which had left Kaito refusing to leave the hospital for the full five days that the high-school detective had been kept there.

Obviously they meant something to each other, or at least Kudo meant something to Kaito. Still, arrangements were something that, while rare, did happen and were more about family alliances than anything else. That they got along was enough to settle the majority of his concerns.

Then Aoko spent the better part of an hour gushing about how Kudo could keep Kaito in line and calm him down when fish were brandished in his face and it became clear that Kudo was at least friends with Kaito. Still, this was (aside from the heist) the first time he'd seen Kudo and Kaito at the same time.

Actually, he hadn't seen much of Kaito at all these past few weeks. Even so, it was clear that Kaito had mellowed a bit. Kudo seemed to be a stabilizing influence… barring heists, anyway. However, the concern and the reaction to the mention of the case (which he still didn't know much about) had him frowning and deciding to look for more information.

Ten minutes later, the report crossed his desk and suddenly Kaito's concern and Kudo's reaction made a sickening sense. Nakamori grimaced, and asked for the number of homicide cases Kudo had been party to.

The answer was _staggering._ Another check—over ninety-five percent of the homicide cases in Tokyo and at least fifteen percent of cases elsewhere in Japan for the majority of the past _fourteen years_, as well as mentions of cases in America and even one on a plane while heading _to_ America. No _wonder_ Kudo had a reputation for being cold—he'd been seeing dead bodies since he was a _child._ The first seriously bloody case he'd stumbled on, he'd been all of two _and_ the first one on the scene, visiting a parent's friend's house and wandering into the living room ahead of chatting adults.

His in-precinct reputation for having a Shinigami trailing him abruptly had discernable merit. More than a few mentions of injuries, several cases involving schoolmates, more than a hundred involving casual acquaintances and more still involving coincidental 'nearby' scenes.

Nakamori knew he wouldn't be able to handle seeing death everywhere he went. He was in Division Two for a _reason_. Division One handled violent crimes, and Kudo had seen more death than most of their oldest officers. Death was ugly, it was depressing, it was a part of the world that he knew existed and also knew he couldn't handle dealing with every day. That Kudo seemed to handle it without wanting to, without having made the _choice_, with it just flinging itself in his face…

Five deaths since the day he and Kaito had ended up married. _Five._ The latest a gory scene that had—_literally_—dropped itself on his head.

Nakamori sat back, frowning. Kudo's quick latch-on to the Clock Tower Heist made a worrying sort of sense with this new knowledge. Something that was an actual challenge to the boy's brilliant mind and didn't involve blood and hate _had_ to be a reprieve.

A second glance at the statistics. Every case Kudo had investigated himself had been closed. Every single one—all of them had hard evidence laid out and the perpetrator backed into a confession. Not a single one of the murderers had walked free. Kudo may have had something dodging his footsteps, but a third look at the statistics had Nakamori frowning.

He started checking against Osaka, then similarly-sized cities around the world. General violent death rates—Tokyo seemed to have a higher murder rate, but a second check had slow consideration crossing the Inspector's face.

If he combined the accidental death, suicide, and murder rates—the combined numbers were pretty close. Same with Osaka, New York, Hong Kong—the average population-to-unnatural-death ratios were more-or-less the same.

The difference was _Kudo._ If he was on-scene, he could pick out the evidence that said whether the accident was really accidental, whether the suicide was really suicide. If not, the murderer got tracked down and exposed.

That was…

Nakamori swallowed and deleted the notes he'd just made on his computer. Kudo wasn't a threat. Kudo wasn't crazy or a killer.

Nakamori didn't know what Kudo _was_, but if there was foul play in a death near him, he saw to it that the aggressor was exposed and arrested.

_Why?_

He crushed the thought as it formed. It didn't matter. This was beyond rational explanation. _Need not to know._

Nakamori was rash and temperamental and didn't try as hard as he could to catch Kid even though he put at least a dozen thieves away each month. He wasn't superstitious—well, no more than anyone else raised on Japanese lore, and less so than most—but there as something here that he had the feeling he shouldn't be looking too closely at.

The evidence was there, laid out across the world and Japan and the paper-trail of Kudo's life. _Something_ was at work, and Kudo had been chosen as—_something._ An avatar, a champion, it didn't matter. But Kudo was human (Nakamori hoped, anyway, because if youkai really existed he didn't want to know about it) and that flash of world-weary exhaustion and mostly-hidden pain that had Kaito looking so _worried_ for the Heisei Holmes meant he needed some kind of reprieve from all the death.

So. Nakamori would welcome him at heists and maybe pull a few more stupid stunts than usual, maybe not direct the Taskforce quite as well as he could, maybe let Kudo find his reprieve in a crazy thief who returned what he stole and whose only rule was that no one gets hurt and in Kaito and Kaito's concern and care.

Because Kudo wasn't Nakamori's family, but Kaito might as well be and Kudo was _Kaito's_ family, which meant that he might as well be Nakamori's too. And maybe people had started to forget in this modern age, but family was supposed to come first.

_xxxx_


	19. Chapter 18

_I have posted another story, though it is going to be much shorter than this one, if anyone's interested. Until that one is finished (shouldn't be too long, but I don't have an exact number of chapters, either), I am only going to _plan_ on having Lucid Dreams update Mondays and that one Thursdays, though I'm updating both today._

_**Chapter 18**_

"It's peaceful," Kaito murmured, eyes closed, splayed out on soft grass.

Shinichi pulled one knee up to rest an arm across it, leaning back against the sturdy trunk of an old wisteria. "You know, I'm kind of wondering what'll happen to Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko. I haven't met them, this time, and Conan will never be a part of their lives."

Kaito blinked his eyes open, "Oh… I'd almost forgotten about them, to be honest. You had to cut ties completely after you got the antidote, and I never really spent time with them, so…"

"Mm. I kept an eye out, but it was hard to get much without being noticed. I lost track of them after they hit middle school, but… they seemed well, then. They kept with the little cases for a while, things like cats and dogs and lost items. Later on, the police started letting them consult on the non-violent cases."

"They idolized you, you know. They wanted to impress you, to make you proud of them."

"Aa. I know," Shinichi tilted his head back against the mossy bark, looking up at thickly-leaved branches. No blooms, of course, not this late in the year; but the wind rustled through the leaves in a soothing manner while the lowering sun tinted the world with gold. "They never had any interest in detective work before they met me. Without Conan, I don't think they ever will."

"Is that a bad thing?" Kaito tilted his own head to eye Shinichi, taking in the wistful, melancholy expression on the meitantei's face.

"Not really," Shinichi shut his eyes with a tired smile, the late afternoon light tinting his skin bronze. Kaito was struck by how much like a statue the detective looked at that moment, like a cast forged of memory. It was nostalgic, the almost unfamiliar youth of features that matched his own. "They'll be safer and they won't… they won't get caught up in all those cases or have to deal with fear and death everywhere they go."

"But they won't be the people you remember, either," Kaito realized, pushing himself up and scooting to sit with his own back braced against aging bark. "I didn't know them so well, but… I know your presence really made a difference with them."

Shinichi sighed, opening his eyes and turning his head to eye the magician. "Yeah. It's just… it feels like I'm giving them up again. I hated having to cut them out so completely, but I knew they'd never be safe if I told them the truth. They were to young to keep a secret, and if even a whisper had gotten out…"

"Easy targets," Kaito agreed, "They were more reckless than _you_ were, and that's saying something. At least when you threw yourself into danger, you had reason and enough knowledge to realize what you were getting into."

"Yeah. Seeing me beat the odds made them think that it was normal for a kid to take down a killer," A wry quirk of lips, "I never did manage to get them to think otherwise."

"You always made sure they made it out, so their impression was reinforced."

"Don't I know it," Shinichi chuckled, more fond than amused. "I'll miss them, but… I'd regret it more if I drew them into a mess by trying to get them back."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Hakuba—well, he's the son of the Superintendent and already a well-known detective in England. He's never been stupid and he's got that high-school detective sense of justice that won't let him ignore trouble. I don't doubt that Hattori will pull the same sort of challenge-stunt that he did the last time, trying to get your attention, and he'll end up being the same way."

"That's Hattori, all right. Hotheaded, but smart when he pays attention."

Kaito smiled, "Yeah. Outlived either of us, anyway." They'd left him believing they were dead, too. He'd been so _angry…_ but he'd gotten the letters they'd left and kept from doing anything so rash as to endanger his family and Kazuha.

"The girls…"

"We can keep them out of it, if we're careful. They've already accepted that we're no longer potential boyfriends," Kaito flicked a ball of blue flame into his off-hand musingly.

"We haven't seen much of either of them outside of class, and Ran's probably still a bit put off from the fiasco at Tropical Land."

"You should probably call her," Kaito said finally. "I know it's hard, but… it's been long enough that she'll be worried."

"Yeah. I just…"

Kaito glanced aside, humming acknowledgement and snuffing the flame by closing his fingers around it. Aoko had moved on after he'd faked his death, still unaware of his night job and well-connected enough that the syndicate had bothered to check before shooting. The Mouris hadn't been so lucky.

The Org hadn't even bothered to disguise it for anything other than what it was—a hit. They made it _obvious_ that it had been professional assassins and had taken out Kogoro, Ran, and Kisaki Eri while they were at a dinner party with three snipers and three shots from over five hundred meters. Candles and alcohol scattered by falling bodies, flames and blood recorded by a reporter's camera.

Nothing to say who'd done the shooting and the only evidence being the bodies and three bullets from three unregistered long-range rifles. Nothing to follow—it became a cold case never closed.

Knowing that Aoko was alive had always been a comfort despite their bloody parting, but Shinichi had only wrenching grief left by the death of a friend that had always believed in him and waited for him to come home.

"I guess… I don't really know what I feel anymore," Shinichi sighed, "I haven't loved her like that since… well, since I'd been Conan for way too long. After a while it was impossible to see her as anything other than a sister, but it hurt. It _still_ hurts. I know she's here, but she's not the _same._"

"No. Neither is Aoko. Hakuba—well, he never actually changed much, before, but he's a bit different now. Hattori won't be the same either—_no one_ will. It's… so much _hasn't happened,_ but…"

"I know," Shinichi sighed, flicking a pinch of glitter into the air and pulling it into a swirling ball of wind and sparkles. "I know. It's just… hard."

"Worse with no immediate issues to focus on, of course."

A huffed breath, "Of course. You're right, though. I'll call her," bits of glitter shimmered out across the grass, the swirl of wind dismissed in a sparkling arc. An old, familiar phone clicked open.

_xxxx_

Ran let out a slow breath as the call ended, snapping her phone closed and staring at the front screen blankly until it switched itself off. Shinichi was… _different._ Had been different since that crazy day when he'd transferred to Ekoda High and ended up married all in one morning.

Of course, considering the circumstances, his behavior then hadn't been much of a surprise—nervous, off-balance… really, only to be expected after having his life effectively turned on its head. During the dinner with him and Kaito, he'd settled back into being more like the old Shinichi, before a few too many fan-mails had gone to his head.

Then the very next night he'd ended up hospitalized with a fever that had nearly killed him, and the day after that had suffered a second spike that had nearly killed him _again_, and that had been the most terrifying thing she'd ever seen.

He'd seemed quieter at Tropical Land, Kaito alternating between pestering her with bright questions and poking at Shinichi in a vaguely mother hen manner, but Shinichi had seemed anxious and a little… distracted, maybe a bit distant. She hadn't let herself think about it, but now…

How badly had the fever hurt him? There was a good chance he hadn't gotten away from a 41.6 degree brain-boil completely unharmed. He was still Shinichi, but his reactions were a little too stilted, like he was taking a moment to work out what was going on each time she spoke. Granted, someone who didn't know him probably wouldn't even notice, but she'd known him for years.

She'd seen that he still possessed his deductive abilities—the murder at Tropical Land proved that—but… Maybe it was memory issues? Not whether he _could_ remember, but more how _quickly?_

She remembered the Health teacher saying that the nervous system was the only part of the human body that actually _regenerated,_ but that its method of self-healing was also the slowest, which was why people who severed their spinal chords generally ended up paralyzed for life while a cut nerve in a finger would generally fix itself within a year. The brain was the main part of the central nervous system, right?

So, Shinichi would get better. He _had_ to.

But it might take a while. Still, the mild anxiety and stilted responses were a small price to pay for his life and personality both being intact.

Ran sighed, pocketing her phone. She didn't see him much, these days, anyway. He was in Ekoda for school and the way he tended to stumble over cases meant he didn't usually have a lot of free time. The fact that he'd called her at all was a relief, and she decided to be grateful that he was about as okay as he was going to get in the short term.

Now all she needed to do was set aside a block of time to head to Ekoda. After clearing it with Shinichi—she didn't actually know where he was staying. It would be really awkward to get over to Ekoda only to get lost.

_xxxx_

"Anything?" Shinichi asked as he and Kaito ran through what amounted to about eight hours of video from their collection of heist-time surveillance cameras.

"Not yet," Kaito finished with the intermittent clips from camera five and moved on to six. Shinichi had gotten through two and three in the amount of time it had taken to speed through way too many shots of passing bats and was already moving on to the next computer. There had to be a roosting sight somewhere near five for that many bats.

"I think I've got something," Shinichi paused the third clip from camera seven, checked the time of recording and the length of the clip. "Looks like there'll be more on ten and maybe something on eleven."

Kaito paused the one he was checking and got up to look at what Shinichi was pointing at—yes, an across-the-way shot of a dark-clothed figure carrying a case. "Ten's on that roof and eleven is facing that way from the heist building's roof."

"Exactly."

Kaito snapped open the last computer, skipping past camera nine's folder and opening ten's.

"We've got a clear shot of his face."

Shinichi blinked once, twice—and a slow smirk curled his lips. "Gin, Vodka, _and_ Snake?"

"Good start," Kaito agreed, and they resumed work a lot more enthusiastically.

An hour later, they had more than that, the sniper having set up close enough to the hidden camera for the mic to actually pick up his end of the radio conversation. The very _incriminating_ radio conversation that ended in a frustrated, _"There's no clear shot—Kid spooked out a window on the other side of the building and is headed out of range,"_ a pause, then, _"Hai. I'll clean up and head in."_

"Well, now… copy the shots from the three cameras that got it and we can store them near the ones of Gin and Vodka. That's as good as the blackmail deal." Kaito grinned, sharp and predatory.

"Mm. Then we need to get ready for dinner."

The grin vanished into a startled blink, "I forgot about that."

_xxxx_

"You're so _polite,_ Shin-chan!" Kaito teased, closing the front door behind them. Shinichi was bringing a gift to their host—which was indeed polite and in some cases expected, but this wasn't exactly the sort of high-end formal dinner that would require the gesture.

Shinichi shrugged, shifting his grip on the cider he'd decided on. It wasn't alcoholic, as the only one currently of legal drinking age expected was Nakamori-keibu, but it was a nice brand that Kaito had enjoyed previously and Shinichi didn't have a problem with it, even if it was a little sweet. Aoko-san would probably like it, though, if Kaito's reminiscing on her sweet tooth had been even remotely accurate over the years. "Is this somehow a problem?"

Kaito laughed, "Maa—of course not! I just think it's cute. We're _teenagers,_ after all."

Shinichi dipped his head slightly, lips quirking, "Mm. But I'm known for being formal, ne?"

Kaito shook his head, grinning, and rang the doorbell.

Aoko answered, "Hey, Kaito, Kudo-kun! You made it!"

Kaito tilted his head at her, "Ano… we're next door neighbors. Why _wouldn't_ we?"

"Oh, well, last time things turned into a mess," she shook her head, "Where are Aoko's manners? Come in, come in! Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

Shinichi paused in the entryway, offering the bottle of fruit cider with a polite bow. "Here."

"Oh," Aoko took it, blinking in surprise. "Oh!" she said again, looking more closely at the bottle, "You got the good kind."

Shinichi half-shrugged, the corner of his mouth turning up in a lopsided smile, "I didn't think alcohol would be appropriate, considering."

"Oh, no, this is perfect!" Aoko assured, pausing to swat Kaito as he muffled snickers next to the shoe cabinet. "The guest slippers are in the left side of the cabinet on the middle shelf."

Shinichi nodded thanks, quirking an eyebrow at a still-snickering Kaito. "What's wrong with you?"

Kaito waved a hand, "You two are being all _formal!_"

Aoko affected a haughty air that really didn't match her personality at all, "Well, ruffians like yourself could stand to learn proper manners."

Shinichi's eyes sparked with humor as he recalled times when Kaito—either as Kid or in disguise—had shown manners that could (and occasionally _had_) make foreign royalty believe he was a proper high-bred gentleman. All in all… "Kaito's manners are entirely based on how much _actual_ trouble he'll get in without them."

Kaito grinned.

Aoko groaned, "That… ugh! I should have _known!_"

_xxxx_

Dinner (which Nakamori-keibu cooked himself) consisted of beef curry-rice and vegetables and turned out to be quite tasty as well as refreshingly uneventful. It said a lot about Shinichi's life that eating dinner anywhere but home was often interrupted by murder, either nearby or at the same table.

Kaito leaned back in his chair, setting his chopsticks aside. "That was really good, Nakamori-keibu!"

Shinichi smiled, "Very good, thank you."

"Well, I'm glad you liked it," Nakamori smiled back.

"I'll start cleaning up," Aoko volunteered, standing to gather empty plates and chopsticks.

Kaito glanced at Shinichi, hands flickering through a quick question.

Shinichi shrugged one shoulder and tapped his fingers against the tabletop in a quick, choppy rhythm.

"I'll help!" Kaito jumped up, sweeping glasses up in a move that looked a lot more dangerous than it was, earning startled cries from both Nakamoris and an exasperated huff from Shinichi. The magician then half-herded Aoko around the counter into the kitchen.

Shinichi considered, glancing at Aoko, then sighed. "You have questions," he observed.

Nakamori-keibu nodded, casting his own glance towards his daughter. "Not many," he assented. "I did some digging. Maybe I shouldn't have, but I did. Do you know the percent of the murders in Tokyo you have been in some way party to in the last fourteen years?"

Shinichi shook his head, "I've never been sure I _want_ to know. I know I see murders or the immediate aftermath of murders more than anyone else, but I don't think I'd like to know if there's more of them that I don't see."

"That's just it—there are hardly _any_ that you don't see. I checked the statistics for violent deaths for several of the famous major cities around the world—Tokyo's no different, number of violent deaths compared to population. It's just that you end up seeing almost all of them—but there was something about it I thought you might want to know. The number of unsolved murders in Tokyo is less than two percent, and about ninety-five percent of the ones in the past two years were solved _by you._"

Shinichi blinked, leaning back. "That is…" _comforting,_ is what it was, to know for certain he saw the vast majority of it. That there wasn't much _beyond_ what he saw.

"I worked in Division One for a while, Kudo-kun. I requested the transfer to Division Two over fifteen years ago when I realized what seeing that much violence and death was doing to my outlook on humanity. Honestly, after seeing the sheer _number_ of police reports on murders with your name in some way mentioned… I'm surprised you're still sane."

Shinichi shook his head, "I see a lot of death, a lot of hurt, and a lot of hate. I always have. But… I see a lot of _good,_ too. I've seen people help each other and I've seen people save people who'd been trying to kill them. It's—people are _people_. There's good and bad in everyone… its just easier to see the bad than the good. It's always easier to notice things that hurt, but that doesn't mean the rest isn't there."

"That's a good attitude to have," Nakamori mused, tapping his fingers against the tabletop pensively. "I wasn't able to hold that attitude as part of Division One. Not many people can."

Shinichi sighed, shifting forward to lean against the table. "Still, I said I'd explain about the Clock Tower, so…"

Nakamori shook his head, "After looking at that mess of files? I couldn't hold your attitude then against you if I _tried._"

Shinichi gave a wry huff, "I appreciate that. However, there _is_ still something I should explain, because we likely will be working together at times and if I begin spending more time in public with you, you'll at least need fair warning. It has to do with my… widespread fan-base."

Nakamori blinked twice, "You're an over-polite, condescending bastard on purpose."

Shinichi smirked, "There, I _knew_ you weren't stupid."

The head of the Kid Taskforce sat up straight, scowling, "What?"

"You know it's been said," Shinichi pointed out, "Not just about you, but the entire Taskforce. But the people saying it—they don't understand, do they? It's not that any of you are dumb, it's just that Kid isn't the kind of thief _anyone_ is trained to deal with. Not only is he a magician, he's clearly not driven by greed or desperation. Beyond that, he's a genius, and I'm willing to bet he has either eidetic or near-eidetic memory… and he has equipment that, frankly, the police just can't compete with."

"I saw at least three times during the last heist's security footage that you would have had him if Kaito hadn't pulled another one of his crazy stunts."

"Mm," Shinichi shrugged, "but none of those times would have happened to begin with if Kaito hadn't slowed him down with one of his earlier 'crazy stunts'."

"You were _anticipating_ his movements, though," Nakamori pointed out, frustration leaking into his expression.

"Nakamori-keibu," Shinichi said firmly, "You and your Taskforce have been chasing International Criminal 1412 every time he's in Japan for years under what amounts to a severe handicap. He's a magician, a genius, and well-equipped. Your people aren't trained to deal with magicians and _no one_ is trained to deal with Kid's equipment. I have three advantages over you. I am—while not at Kid's level—a magician. I am also a genius… and I deal with the tricks of a genius magician on a daily basis as a competitor, not an audience. Kaito's great practice."

Nakamori gaped at the last part, "Kaito… as practice. I hadn't thought of that."

"If you ask, Kaito might be willing to help with a training course. I'd be willing to help out, but what I know is more counter-tricks than tricks and most of your people are honestly a too old to learn to preform them easily. It takes a lot of practice and starting from anything over mid-teens makes it hard to develop the manual dexterity required." Shinichi'd had trouble when he'd started at nineteen, but his currently-sixteen body was pulling the little tricks off more and more easily as he practiced, though mental familiarity helped.

"That's a really good idea," Nakamori still seemed a bit shocked over the thought, "I'll ask my superiors about it."

"Oi, Shin-chan—are you volunteering me for things over there?"

Shinichi turned his gaze across to the kitchen, "I said 'might'!" he called back. "And it's not like you don't volunteer _me_ for things!"

Kaito pouted briefly, "But Shinichi! You need more _fun_ things in your life!"

"And you need more _productive_ things in yours," he retorted. "Besides, you don't want people in other departments mocking Nakamori-keibu, do you?"

Kaito paused, "Good point. What am I signed up for?"

"Training the Taskforce."

Kaito opened his mouth, closed it, shook his head, and finally managed, "_Really?_"

"If I can get my superiors to agree," Nakamori affirmed.

Kaito _beamed._ "Awesome!"

Shinichi grinned at the enthusiasm, waving an 'I thought you'd like that' at Kaito. This was probably the best night he'd ever had after having been at a dinner that wasn't either at home or at the Mouri Detective Agency.

Kaito's hands flickered, 'We need more nights like these.'

Yeah, they really did.

_xxxx_


	20. Chapter 19

.

**_Chapter 19_**

"Hey, Shinichi," Kaito tossed a chicken dumpling in the detective's direction, pre-empting his move towards the coffee. "First: eat that, and second: it's only a few months until winter break. Should we start working out travel plans?"

Shinichi bit into the dumpling, clearly humoring Kaito's morning mothering as he dodged around the magician to pour himself a mug of coffee. He glanced over his shoulder questioningly and Kaito waved a steaming mug at him in return. "Right. Actually, I think we should let my parents handle that—Kaa-san would _love_ to."

"And you feel like you need to do something to make up for them missing out on your more… _formative_ years when they really did try last time," Kaito interpreted, knowing what Shinichi usually thought about letting his mother do any kind of vacation planning.

Shinichi nodded slightly.

"You realize we're letting her plan our _honeymoon?_"

The grimace said that, yes, Shinichi understood that very well.

"All right, then," Kaito grinned. Yukiko's flamboyance in certain things had always entertained him as much as they embarrassed Shinichi. "I'll just hit the high points on where we want to go with Chichiue and leave it to them, hm?"

"Gah. I'm probably going to regret this, but… yes."

"Right. So, school? _Boring._ Do I at least get to torment Haku-chan today?"

Shinichi shrugged, "In moderation."

_xxxx_

Hakuba grimaced as he met up with Kudo and Kuroba outside the school gates, taking in the irrepressible prankster's eye-gleam upon noticing him as a bad sign.

Twelve seconds and one multicolored smoke-cloud later, he was proven correct. "Please tell me this isn't permanent?" he sighed, putting just enough lilt into the sentence to make it a question. The ruffling pressure against his head during the smoke-flair meant a dye-job, probably as multicolored as the smoke if Kuroba's past color-coordination held true.

"It's not," Kudo assured, "I double-checked all his dyes today. That one will come out with little vegetable oil rubbed onto your hair before you wash it. Note that the 'before' part is important, otherwise it will act as a slow-fade dye."

Hakuba sighed again, "By 'slow fade', you mean…?"

"Give it a week and a half and it'll fade out on its own," Kuroba informed cheerily.

"Not as bad as I feared," Hakuba acknowledged, reaching up to run his fingertips carefully through his hair. "It's not even damp," he observed, trying to figure out if it was some Kuroba-made fast-drying dye or whether there had been less… _scientific_ influence for the ease with which his hair had been recolored.

"None of Kaito's dyes stay wet for more than a few seconds; he thinks it's unprofessional to leave smears or stains outside of direct targets."

Hakuba had to pause at that. "How is randomly dying people's hair and clothes 'professional'?"

Kuroba turned an affronted look in his direction, "Hakuba, anything that requires skill, effort, and excessive amounts of practice and time in the chemistry lab can be considered to be of professional quality, regardless of whether or not I get paid to do it."

Hakuba tried to come up with a response, had his mind blip twice, and shook his head as he opened the classroom door. It was testament to Kuroba's influence that no one even blinked at the rainbow hair. "That really shouldn't make sense to me."

Kuroba nodded once, "I have my sense of professional pride."

"As both a magician and a prankster," Kudo added, setting his book-bag on his desk with a dull thump while his free hand flicked something else to said magician-prankster.

Kuroba smirked at the frank assessment, fingers twitching a reply. "So long as you understand that."

Hakuba huffed, a little annoyed at being 'talked over' even though he was fairly certain that the silent part of that conversation mentioned thievery at least once. "I shall endeavor to remember," although, now that he bothered to actually think about it, he knew of Kid's pride in his reputation. Despite long-harbored belief of Kuroba's moonlit identity, there had always been a line between 'Kuroba' and 'Kid'.

Kuroba _was_ Kid, he'd admitted that, but after seeing them in the same room—well, seeing Kudo and Kid in the same room while Kudo was acting as Kuroba—it reinforced the separation in his mind. They were similar, true, but despite Kuroba _being_ Kid, Kid and Kuroba _felt_ like different people.

That Kuroba had Kid's sense of perfection and professional pride should not have been—and _was_—surprising. Even _knowing_ they were the same, having been handed concrete proof and a confession, the line that had always lain between Kuroba and Kid in his mind had only grown more distinct. Well. At least that made it easier to pretend he didn't actually know.

Now if only he could get through an entire day without either Kuroba _or_ Kid pranking him…

_xxxx_

Shinichi stretched out his arms and rolled his shoulders, luxuriating in the ease of movement and complete lack of lingering stiffness from his earlier illness. _Finally,_ he could move properly again. He'd been getting by with minimal discomfort, but some of the more complex slight-of-hand tricks and the more physically intensive soccer stunts had been hard to pull off.

Kaito grinned at him from a few steps into the tree-line. "All better?"

"_All_ better," Shinichi grinned back.

Kaito nodded, "Good! That means we can get back in practice!"

"Until Hakuba gets the dye out of his hair," Shinichi pointed out.

"Nah, he'll be so overawed by what you can do when you're healthy that he'll forget all about wanting to head over to Beika."

Shinichi chuckled and clicked the side dispenser for a long-term soccer ball. "Don't shoot this one," he cautioned. "I only have two that last more than thirty seconds."

"We should bring a normal one next time, but make sure it's colored differently."

"Mm. Good idea. Meanwhile…"

Kaito's grin turned sharply mischievous. "It's _Showtime._"

_xxxx_

Hakuba didn't, in fact, forget his desire to head to Beika. He _did_ let them continue their practice for nearly twenty minutes before saying he was heading out whether they were or not—the bank he needed to go to first closed early, and Beika was a fair distance even by car.

Shinichi didn't visibly react when they entered the bank and he spotted a familiar face, instead stepping off to the side with Kaito and waving Hakuba forward.

Kaito noticed anyway, tapping a question on his shoulder.

Shinichi flicked his fingers, drawing attention to the teller Hakuba had just been called over to, one wearing a nametag that declared her to be Hirota Masami. 'Miyano Akemi', tapped against his own arm, the light sound of fingertips against the denim of his jacket quiet enough to be unnoticed from even a few meters away. 'Gin and Vodka have already started to set her up. I need to find a way to contact her without them knowing about it.'

Kaito blinked acknowledgement, clearly thinking, then tilted his hand in the more subtle gesture for 'tomorrow'.

Shinichi dipped his head. Rushing could cause problems, and the robbery hadn't happened for another three months. Akemi wouldn't have the kind of information she needed to pull it off, yet, and the Org had been looking for a viable excuse to kill her for years. A little longer should be all right, so long as they were careful.

Even if it wasn't, though… drawing attention to her in any way would be more dangerous than waiting, as if she went up on the Org's ranking of 'risk level' she'd be dead before she left work.

The waiting game. It was one he and Kaito both knew, but it was no less chafing for the familiarity.

_xxxx_

"You know," Hakuba said dryly as Kudo led the way into the alley behind a small restaurant, where a young man had just given a startled cry that sounded equal parts shocked and horrified, "I was _going_ to ask what was bothering you. I should have known better than to try." Because Kudo had been tense since the bank, and Kuroba more restless than usual when not confined indoors.

"Later," Kuroba waved off the comment, "Right now, someone's probably dead."

"Not 'probably'," Kudo stood from where he had knelt beside a middle-aged woman, dumped out in the side alley behind the row of bins where the restaurant employees sorted trash and recycling. "Kaito?"

"Calling the police," the magician replied, no hint of his usual cheer about him.

"Hakuba?" Kudo's eyes met his for a moment, and Hakuba felt as if time stalled.

_Those eyes…_ Kudo hadn't looked at him at the other case they'd both been at. He swallowed hard and suddenly Kudo's gaze lost something undefinable—and Hakuba could breathe again. No _wonder_ the people Kudo tracked down confessed; those eyes were _undeniable._

"Sorry. Hakuba, time?"

Glance, "Five fifty-three and thirty-two seconds."

Kudo stepped back, gesturing with one hand. "Let's see what you can get."

Right. Apparently Kudo believed in live case training. Okay. Hakuba drew a slow breath; he could do this—and Kudo's eyes were not still, taking in the entire scene and probably breaking it down into pieces.

Even if Hakuba made a mistake, Kudo was here. Kudo would not allow him to cause the arrest of an innocent.

He could do this.

_xxxx_

"Hey, Hakuba," Kaito glanced sideways at the British detective before making an abrupt decision and turning both detectives towards a small coffee shop across the street from the train station they'd been heading to. "You did pretty well, there."

"The ex was distraught and the boyfriend was sloppy," Hakuba muttered, looking away.

"True though that may be, you did well," Shinichi backed up Kaito's assessment. "You already know most of the basics, though we need to work on how well you put together more obscure clues. Kaito could probably help with that—if you learn some sleight-of-hand, it could really give you a broader perspective on possibilities. This time, though, you didn't fixate before getting all the evidence and you didn't over-focus on one thing. That's the most important thing for you to keep doing—not letting yourself be misled by partial evidence."

"What I can't believe is that Sato-keiji and Takagi-keiji took 'He wants to learn' as the reason for you not doing anything but minor corrections to what I found as a reason for you to stand by and watch."

Shinichi shrugged, "They're good people and they actually like having outside sources to rely on when something unusual comes up. They know you're good, but if you're trying to get _better,_ there's no way any of the more sensible officers in Division One will do anything but encourage it. Solving a case more slowly than I might have is not really a problem. Thinking you've solved a case and arresting the wrong person _is._"

Hakuba tilted his head, acknowledging the point, and Kaito ushered the detectives into the shop. "Comfort drinks," he ordered the detectives. "Not working fuel. I'm paying."

Hakuba opened his mouth to protest but Shinichi cut him off, "Let Kaito pay. He _hates_ murders. This is his way of thanking you for catching the person who did it."

"You knew who it was before I did," Hakuba accused.

Shinichi only shrugged, "You want to learn, and an hour or two doesn't make any difference to this victim's family… but it might make all the difference to another's, later on."

Kaito nodded when Hakuba stopped protesting and ordered his drink, Earl Grey tea in true British style. Shinichi rolled his eyes and led the other detective to a table, and Kaito let himself smile at the silent implication. The barista behind the counter turned her attention to him, curious. "Ah, one medium dark chocolate mocha—no extra sweetener—and a large hot chocolate. All three are for here."

Five minutes later he meandered over to the table Shinichi had chosen, deliberately leaving the drinks on the counter and taking amused note of the silent pout on Hakuba's face. Shinichi must have pulled another one of his 'I know all' comments to put an end to Hakuba's griping.

"For you," Kaito presented all three drinks with a light puff of smoke and a flair of his hands. He grinned a the startled sound from the barista and the grin only widened when Hakuba gave him a look of pure exasperation.

"That wasn't even one I get to pick apart, was it?"

"Not with hot liquid involved, no." He _could_ have pulled it off without any mahou*-style magic, but without any setup-time and without some of his more elaborate tools? Yeah, not happening.

Shinichi chuckled, "Look at the bright side, Hakuba. You're getting much better at spotting mahou from tejina—you're much more likely to break apart most of Kid's tricks, now."

"The fact that some of those tricks might _actually_ be breaking the laws of physics is not something I wanted to know," Hakuba grumped, scowling at his tea.

Kaito grinned at him.

_xxxx_

_*Mahou is 'magic', as in mystical power or sorcery. The loanword 'majikku' covers all fronts, but the word 'tejina' covers illusionary magic, i.e. magic that is not 'real'. That fact that I have not used the former word before is a minor miracle. 'Sorcery' has poor connotations in the English language, and while I definitely think Akako falls under the category (creepy, much?), Shinichi and Kaito don't really need that word tacked onto them._

_xxxx_


	21. Chapter 20

.

**_Chapter 20_**

"Miyano Akemi, huh?" Kaito tilted his head slightly, flicking playing cards through his fingers in restless patterns. He knew the name, of course, and the story. Shiho's sister, a death that Shinichi-as-Conan couldn't prevent (too small, too slow) and the reason Haibara Ai ever came to be.

Shinichi nodded tiredly, "Haibara... never got over that, not really. Not even when she decided to bury Shiho forever."

Kaito nodded, remembering the grief the girl had tried to hide those few times she'd spoken of her sister. "They set her up, right? They were planning to kill her whether she pulled off the robbery or not?"

Shinichi sighed, letting his head drop back against the couch cushions in the Kudo mansion's library. "Yeah, and with how widespread they are..."

"Getting them both out will be the _easy_ part," Kaito agreed, knowing full well that even that would be tricky at best. "Keeping them safe afterwards..."

"If Ai's back, we could keep them together and get them out of the country. They might look for the Miyano sisters, but Shiho and Ai aren't even in the same age-group. If they also weren't in the same _country,_ Akemi and Ai would have that chance for the lives they've always been denied."

"Akai would be able to get them somewhere safe and Akemi really did love him, from what I heard. She didn't care that he used her at first, because she understood that his reasons changed and he didn't want her in danger," Kaito mused, glancing at the detective from where he was leaning against one of the ludicrously huge and completely filled bookshelves.

"We'd have to find a way to let them know we want to help them, but that will be hard to do without someone like Gin catching on."

Kaito frowned. "... and Shiho doesn't have any reason to trust us, yet, _especially_ not with a claim like 'the poison that's never failed on a human and leaves no traces won't kill you, but make you look about seven and give you a way out of this insane criminal syndicate you're in'."

"I'd think we'd lost our minds if I hadn't _lived_ it," Shinichi agreed wryly. "It might be easier to approach Akemi with an offer of sanctuary and just have her tell her sister that we're who to come to if she needs help."

"If Shiho thought Akemi was dead... it's cruel, but things would probably work out in a similar way to how they'd happened last time. No guarantees, but..."

Shinichi nodded, pushing himself more upright. "It's the best option we have. It may not work, but we just don't have anything else to even _try_ that isn't more likely to hurt than help."

That was an irritating realization. They knew so much about quite a few of the agents of just about every large-scale policing quality (FBI, CIA, Interpol, the Japanese Secret Police, MI6, the list went on) and the Organization as well as a bit about several smaller-scale criminal outfits (including one led by a crazy man who decided to fake a _bioterrorism_ _attack_), but they didn't have the information they needed _now._

It had been obsolete; there had been no _reason_ to learn the specifics so long as they knew generally what had happened and why, and Haibara had been reluctant to talk about it for obvious reasons.

Who would have expected it to turn so important one day (not-passed)?

"We don't even know where Shiho's lab is to keep a eye on it," Shinichi murmured.

Kaito considered, "We can send out the troops with face-recognition software and hope for the best. Gin and Vodka went there pretty often, if what Haibara said was accurate." Hope for the best, indeed, because if losing a stranger had broken Shinichi as much as it had, losing _Haibara_ would break him so much worse, maybe more than Kaito could put back together.

Failure was not an option, Kaito decided. Not this time.

_xxxx_

While doves were set to combing the city (Shinichi never asked why Kaito's were so much smarter than most and settled for being happy that they _were_) Shinichi and Kaito went through the motions of daily life. This started with seeing off Shinichi's parents at the airport so his dad would make his next large-scale book signing on time.

Yuusaku and Yukiko exchanged a glance before giving their farewells to the teens and the writer offered a smile, "We'll be back in three weeks."

Shinichi paused, eying his parents' expressions for a moment. "You don't have to do this."

Yukiko was the one to answer, uncharacteristically serious. "We _want_ to."

Shinichi's head bowed almost of its own accord, and when he looked back up, a soft smile had eased some of the strain from around his eyes. "Thank you."

It was Yuusaku's turn to bow his head as Yukiko's shoulders dropped a bit. "We haven't been very good parents to you, Shinichi," the writer murmured, "Not if you're thanking us for coming home."

_xxxx_

"... I'm starting to think we should just hide out at the police station for the rest of eternity," Kaito mused, observing the gruesome scene of the latest case with weary detachment. It was the third one in less than seven hours, and Kaito had to wonder if whatever had determined that Shinichi had to see every case within a thousand kilometers of wherever he was staying at any given point in time had decided that break time was over.

Shinichi snorted, "You'd either make them the most open-minded and effective violent crimes force in the world or send them all to the psyche-ward within two weeks."

Takagi picked his way across the room towards them, grimacing as he sidestepped slowly drying blood-splatter and avoiding the body by wide margin. Once he was within polite range, he sighed at them, "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear any of that. What have you got for us this time, Kudo-san?"

Shinichi scanned the scene a fifth time, taking in clues that seemed too familiar, too easily read. Add in equally familiar faces... Shinichi shook his head and broke down the scene.

Kaito moved closer to him, fingers tapping lightly against his arm. 'Another repeat?'

A short nod and finger-flick replied, 'You heard Nakamori-keibu. I see almost all of them. The intentional ones, at least.'

Kaito sighed, 'Point,' he tapped back. 'Too many to keep track of, time-wise.'

Another nod, resigned. 'I just wish...'

'We'll do all we can,' Kaito assured. 'We can't save them all. Not even most. But... we can save _some_, when we see something coming.'

Shinichi nodded. 'Everyone we can.'

'Everyone we can,' Kaito agreed.

_xxxx_

"Everyone they could" included Miyano Akemi, if they played their cards right.

First, though, they had to make contact and make it look incidental. That was where Kaito came in.

Juggling multi-colored plastic balls while turning the corner at the side of Akemi's apartment building (timing provided by a well-trained dove) had Kaito bumping into the low-ranking member of the Organization and knocking her briefcase and his own colorful toys scattering.

The briefcase popped open as it hit the ground, sending papers out across the mostly-vacant sidewalk while the bright plastic continued rolling. Kaito squawked in surprise and started giving hasty apologies while Shinichi feigned a face-palm of exasperation. "Kaito, go get your balls. I'll help clean up the rest of your mess. Sorry about this, miss."

Akemi, forgiving as she was, smiled and waved off the apologies. "It's all right," she assured, kneeling to start gathering up undoubtedly scrambled sheets of paper.

Shinichi crouched down next to her, helping to corral printouts (filing away every little bit of information he could glean in those short moments with obviously encoded kanji) and tilted his head enough to hide his face if they had anyone watching through binoculars. The jammer that he'd switched on during the distraction of the colorful collision provided defense from anything electronic. "They're going to kill you," he said softly.

She froze for a brief moment, almost indiscernible, before shuffling a set of papers into a neat pile. "I don't know what you're talking about," she stated, voice calm and steady.

Shinichi noted that her fingertips were white where they pressed against paper and continued, still carefully soft, "Miyano Akemi, older sister to Miyano Shiho. A lesser member, easily ignored by those higher-ranked and kept only because of familial ties. Before you were used as an 'in' by an FBI infiltrator, that is. That infiltrator ended up regretting using you, entirely because he felt he'd placed you in danger. He has. The Organization has determined you a threat, if a minor one. You _know_ how they handle threats."

From the slight tremor of her hands, she knew very well.

"The bank job is a setup. They want you to fail. The only reason they haven't killed you outright is that your sister said she'd stop working on their precious APTX if they did. If you fail or otherwise do anything to compromise the Organization, they would have an excuse, but they intend to kill you at the end whether you succeed or not. When they do, you sister will refuse to continue working on the drug. She knows what it's used for and she hates it, but she rates you above strangers. Without you in the picture, she would sooner take that drug herself than continue aiding them.

"We can help you if you let us. My name is Kudo Shinichi. If you refuse my aid yourself, at least tell your sister I _will_ help if either of you ask for it. I won't contact you directly again; with the way they've been watching you it's too dangerous." He rose up out of his crouch, settling stacked papers into a neat pile. "I really am sorry about that," he said again, friendly and casual, handing back the printouts. "I hope things aren't too hard to get back in order."

It took her a moment to gather herself, but she let him pull her back to her feet. "Everything is numbered, it won't take long," she assured, falling into the fake conversation easily enough. "Well, have a good day," she dismissed politely and Shinichi nodded to her before going over to help Kaito locate the last of the colored plastic balls.

Kaito waved over at her and added his own slightly sheepish "Sorry!"

Akemi proved her training by merely smiling back and waving the apology off, "No harm done," she called back.

"All right, no more juggling today. You're grounded."

Kaito's mouth dropped open in a dramatic splutter, "But-but—_Shin-chan!_"

Around the edge of the building, still visibly making a fuss, and Shinichi offered the abbreviated gesture they'd long used for a generic 'objective accomplished'. The message had been delivered.

Now all they could do was wait.

_xxxx_


	22. Chapter 21

.

**_Chapter 21_**

Kaito tilted his head slightly, considering as he sipped out of a café hot chocolate while he and Shinichi made their way down a park path. The peaceful air of the place was somewhat needed after the unpleasant recent days topped off by an 'innocent' meeting that in fact was probably more stressful than the entire 'three-case-morning' they'd had. "Think that'll work?"

Shinichi glanced sideways at the magician before grimacing and taking a quick gulp of his coffee, "... not really."

"Well," Kaito sighed, silently conceding that Shinichi's luck tended to run in the general range of 'bad', murder attractant phenomenon not even included. "We still have those two possibles on those drunks' hangout, though, and maybe more soon."

Shinichi nodded. The doves were still combing the city in a careful but hard to read pattern, so they might get something else or confirmation on which of the 'bars', as they'd taken to calling Black Org hideouts, was the one that Shiho ran.

Kaito huffed, "We should have just asked Ai where she worked."

Shinichi shook his head, "It seemed like a moot point at the time," he mused, fingers flicking through a more detailed message. 'They're not stupid, after all. They would have either moved it or shut it down entirely after Miyano escaped.'

Kaito acknowledged that with wry quirk of his lips and a half-toast of his hot chocolate. "Wasn't counting on having a use for it, huh?"

Shinichi shook his head and finished off his coffee, "Not that I'm not grateful for the chance, but it certainly wasn't planned."

"I know, right?" Kaito grinned, "Magic rocks are a thing!"

Shinichi snorted, snagging some bits of foliage from a nearby bush and flicking them into Kaito's hair.

"Oi!" the magician tossed his head, reaching up to finger-comb spruce needles from his head and flicking the last one back at Shinichi, "Anyway, we have anything else to do today?"

"Nothing planned."

"And no Hakuba today—pity, he would have gotten in some practice."

Shinichi raised a sardonic eyebrow.

"I know that's not actually a good thing, but at least it would have been useful," he pointed out. "Anyway, Nakamori-keibu hasn't gotten back to us on that Taskforce thing, so... want to head over to Beika Precinct?"

Shinichi shrugged, "It's around when Shiratori first transferred in. He could stand to be taken down a few pegs; he was pretty bad at first."

_xxxx_

"Kudo-kun!" Megure greeted, a bit surprised. Sure, he'd gotten reports from all corners of the three (scarily closely spaced) murders to have been reported earlier having had Kudo at the scenes, but he'd given the boy a pass on the paperwork for the day, so long as he left his statement with the officers on-site. (Sato-kun and Takagi-kun, for two, and Chiba-kun and the elder Takagi-keiji for the first.) He hadn't been expecting the teen to show up anyway.

Still, Kudo seemed in both better health and better spirits than he had been last time he'd come by the Precinct, Kuroba in tow. Thinking of which, there was Kuroba, bouncing (that particular teen was _very_ energetic) around the corner a few paces behind the young detective.

"Megure-keibu," Kudo acknowledged, eyes flicking across the hall in a quick and startlingly thorough assessment.

Kuroba waved, "Hey, Keibu!" he greeted brightly, "Shin-chan needs a project!"

Megure blinked, glancing between the two in time to catch Kudo's eye-roll. "I do _not_ need a project, Kaito."

"Fine, fine, you only need a few hours with a non-deadly challenge."

"I do not need or want that challenge to be any kind of case at the moment," Kudo refuted dryly. "All I wanted was some familiar faces that didn't come with _highschoolers_ attached."

Kuroba snickered, "Too idiotic for you, are we?"

A hand came up to swat the side of Kuroba's head reprovingly, "You may be crazy, but you're brilliant. Don't lump yourself in with the idiots."

Megure found himself smiling as he watched the exchange. He'd been a bit concerned about the sudden marriage—a family-alliance type, from the look of it—as much for Kuroba's sake as Kudo's. Kudo Shinichi wasn't the easiest person to get along with at times, after all, as even his childhood friend Mouri Ran would attest.

Kuroba's obvious worry during the aftermath of the Tropical Land case had been both concerning and heartening for the same reason: Kuroba gave off the impression of one who did not 'worry' easily, so that he _was_ worried probably meant something seriously wrong. This, though—an easy and natural interaction showing a regard that went both ways—was genuinely reassuring.

"Well, if you're only here to get away from everywhere else," Megure offered, "We do have a new transfer into Division One that I can introduce to you, Kudo-kun, Kuroba-kun. He's filing the last of his paperwork; this way."

The two teens perked up, looking interested, and they followed along willingly as Megure led the way to the back filing offices, one of which held their 'newest' officer. The transfer seemed polite enough, for the most part, if self-assured.

"Shiratori-kun!" Megure called, knocking on the door to the office he'd left the new inspector and Sato-kun in to finish filing the paperwork, "I have a consultant and his husband to introduce to you." He didn't even stumble over referring to Kuroba as Kudo's husband, and he allowed himself a brief moment of pride.

Sato half-stormed out of the room, looking more frazzled than Megure had seen in quite some time. The Inspector almost took a step back, alarmed at her forcefully calm expression, and Kudo stepped around him to intercept with a polite smile, "Sato-san," he greeted, firmly professional, "Perhaps you should just... step back and watch?"

Megure glanced at the young detective, slightly puzzled, and spotted realization melting into a shark's grin on Sato's face. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Kuroba grinned back, all predatory mischief, and Kudo met Sato's expression with a slight smirk and a quirked eyebrow. The female officer stepped aside and turned to face the door she'd come through, the position putting her out of immediate sight-line from the door.

Megure decided that he really _didn't_ want to know just as Shiratori stepped into the hall, all tall confidence. The raised eyebrow and slightly sardonic quirk to his lips as he realized the consultant in question was one of two teenage boys had Megure hiding a wince.

Shiratori wasn't bad, really. From all reports, he was good at his job and usually significantly less arrogant than he'd been acting since walking into the precinct that morning to finalize his transfer. Nervousness could certainly be covered by bravado, but it wasn't going to go over well with Kudo Shinichi.

Or Megure himself, if he were honest, but he was willing to cut the man a little slack on his first day. Kudo wasn't going to be so merciful, judging by the glint in his eye and the challenging return quirk of his eyebrow. Shiratori was good, yes, but Kudo was much, _much_ better.

So. Megure stepped back slightly after giving basic introductions, knowing full well that the condescending tone to Shiratori's greeting had signed his proverbial warrant. Kudo was going to take him apart... but treating a perfectly capable colleague as anything less due to bias (age or otherwise) really _was_ asking for a dressing-down and Kudo would at least be very creatively thorough with it.

_xxxx_

Takagi blinked, slightly surprised on noticing the could-be-twins making their way down the hall, "Hello, Kudo-kun, Kuroba-kun," he greeted, wondering why they were at the precinct with a little worry. "Another case?"

"Oh, we were just here to let Shiratori-san know he's not as good as he thinks he is," Kuroba waved off the question so casually that Takagi almost nodded and went on his way without realizing the content of the reply.

He caught himself and stared, wondering exactly how he was supposed to take that.

Kudo glanced at him, quirking an eyebrow questioningly but not refuting Kuroba's claim. "... ano..."

The smirk was kind of alarming, as it made Kudo look like a very large, very satisfied cat. Kind of... jaguar-like, really. "... that's a scary look you have, Kudo-san."

Kudo's smirk eased into a grin and Kuroba laughed, "I think Shiratori would agree with you."

Takagi knew that he should probably say something in defense of his new co-worker, but Shiratori-keibu had been awfully condescending...

"Ask Sato-san about it," Kudo suggested, "She watched that little encounter."

And hadn't protested? That was pretty telling, Takagi thought, noticing that Shiratori—despite being an inspector—had been referenced either entirely without a suffix (Kuroba seemed to be generally irreverent) or with the generic '-san' and not the '-keibu' he would have expected from Kudo. Lack of respect? Takagi tried not to feel pleased about that.

Kuroba snickered, so he probably hadn't managed to hide his brief satisfaction, and Kudo looked like he'd completely lost interest in the conversation. Takagi wasn't sure if he had or if he was faking it, but either way, there was a lot more paperwork for him to finish after the two murder cases he'd been called to that day, so he took the offered out. "Well, I have more work to do. You two take care of yourselves."

Kudo returned the smile with something that managed to be gently encouraging, "Don't let Shiratori-san push you around, Takagi-keiji. You're a better detective than he is."

With that farewell, the two boys moved off, leaving Takagi blinking in their wake. He'd suspected that Kudo was at least vaguely respectful of him, but that particular parting comment indicated a level of regard that he hadn't expected from the young genius.

Most of the force was silently and very reluctantly aware that they all looked like idiots in comparison to the highschooler referred to as the 'Heisei Holmes'. The (usually) unspoken consensus was that Kudo Shinichi viewed the police force as a whole with a range of fondness and contempt, and that even the fondness was the sort you directed at a particularly well-meaning but stupid dog.

Not that Kudo did or said anything to challenge that belief, as a whole, but Takagi had long since believed that Kudo wasn't as arrogant as he acted. The fact that the detective had recently admitted that his crime-scene act was indeed an act to Takagi had obviously meant something, but the policeman had believed it to just be slightly more fondness than usual. This level of respect...

It felt nice, to know that someone like Kudo Shinichi held faith in him.

_xxxx_


	23. Chapter 22

.

**_Chapter 22_**

Hakuba couldn't quite suppress a sense of unease as he eyed Kuroba out of the corner of his eye three minutes and fifty-one seconds before first period was supposed to start.

Kudo didn't seem any different from how he usually seemed in school, but as his more public persona (even the slightly more relaxed 'school' version) was mostly act at the best of times, that could mean just about anything. Kuroba, though, was a bit more straightforward to read. If he stayed calm longer and/or more easily than usual, something was probably bothering him.

Asking during school would probably not be well received, if such a question was even acknowledged within public hearing range. So. Hakuba may not have the detective skills of Kudo Shinichi, but he was no slouch, either. This... slight standoffishness, this lack of interest in turning every classmate within immediate range any interesting colors, this _calm_—it had started directly after they had visited the bank three days before.

Hakuba hid a frown, considering. The tension seemed to be growing, if not obviously. Considering the fact that they had given him very limited information on an international crime syndicate of frankly worrying proportions...

Had they spotted something at the bank to indicate a nearby agent? Or, worse, had they noticed someone watching them? Kuroba had ample experience in telling when he was being tracked, after all, and Hakuba was fairly certain Kudo was just as good at noticing ill-meant attention directed his way.

If they _were_ being watched, Hakuba didn't know what to do about it, if he were honest. He didn't know enough to even be able to ask a question without possibly putting them in danger if they were being followed. The two hadn't told him everything they knew, they'd even informed him of that, citing his occasional rashness as needing to be curbed before they could, _would_, tell him more.

Considering the two were trying—in very different ways— to break him of his habit of speaking before he thought (accusing Kuroba without proof in a public location had been a very bad idea; Hakuba could recognize that now) meant they were probably intending to tell him when they deemed him able to keep a secret under pressure.

Meanwhile, all he could really do was watch, wait... and hope.

He didn't even know what he was hoping for.

_xxxx_

Hakuba wasn't the only member of class 2-B of Ekoda High to have pegged Kaito's good behavior as something other than 'Kudo keeping him in line'.

Nakamori Aoko sat quietly at her desk, doodling in her notebook and trying not to worry. She'd been friends with Kaito for so long she couldn't really remember a time when he hadn't been there or imagine a world without him in it. She couldn't help the belief that he would always be _somewhere_, pulling flowers from the air to make crying children smile or using some ridiculous stunt to get people to believe he was an alien.

She could imagine her own life without him as a central part, but he would always be there, hanging about the edges, like a slightly distant sibling—but she couldn't imagine him gone entirely.

Somehow, though, it felt like he was pulling away, further than he ever had, and sometimes he looked so tired, so _worried. _Like he was losing something precious and knew it, or maybe just plain scared. And sometimes Kaito looked at Kudo-kun like he was afraid to look away, like if his attention slipped for even a moment, Kudo-kun would be gone when he looked back.

Aoko didn't like it.

The one time she'd gone out with Kaito and Kudo-kun, there had been a young man falling into a spreading pool of red, and now that she could stay (mostly) calm about it, she realized that Kaito had looked _resigned_ when someone screamed. Like he'd expected it despite not wanting it to happen.

Kudo-kun had sighed and he and Kaito had taken control of the situation so quickly and calmly that Aoko hadn't started to get really upset until it was over and even Hakuba-kun had simply gone along with what those two had told him to do. It wasn't until a young woman (not much older than them, only just starting college) had been led out in handcuffs, still raging that she would do it again if she could, that she'd caught sight of Kaito looking disgusted.

Not horrified. Not surprised. _Disgusted_.

Kaito hated violence, hated death, hated even the thought of it. He _should_ have been horrified... but he hadn't even batted an eye.

Aoko remembered the first day she'd met Kudo-kun and Kaito's claim that the high-school detective was cursed.

She'd thought he was joking at the time, but now... that murder had been bad. Terrifying. And Kaito had backed Kudo-kun up like he did it every day, like it was just another part of his normal routine.

There had been that case in Tropical Land, too, and the shooting at the train station in Beika. And her father's careful conversation with Kudo-kun while she and Kaito had been washing dishes indicated that Kudo-kun saw more death and violence than anyone else in Japan.

How many times had Kaito been there when Kudo-kun had stumbled onto a murder scene? How many of those times had Kaito walked into class the next morning, laughing and pranking like nothing had happened?

... and those times—few and far between—that Kaito had come to school _not_ laughing and had sat quietly throughout the days' lessons, one eye on his phone… were they the times that Kaito was waiting to hear from Kudo-kun while he was working on a dangerous case or recovering from some injury?

Kaito was quieter, these days, even when Kudo-kun wasn't nearby. He didn't prank as much.

What was happening to her friend? How... how did he deal with seeing so many really bad things? (Were those things why he hadn't told her about Kudo-kun before?)

Could Aoko even do anything to help make it better?

_xxxx_

Neither Shinichi nor Kaito had missed the concern that the only two classmates who'd realized the slightly unusual tension were leveling at them.

Kaito sighed and tapped his fingers against his desktop, a quick scatter of sound.

Shinichi inclined his head without audible reply; Kaito was in a good position to recognize the silent agreement. Hakuba would be easier for Shinichi to deal with than Nakamori-chan, anyway, as he partly knew what was going on and shared a similar mindset to Shinichi's as a fellow Sherlockian detective.

Ten minutes later, the lunch bell rang, and Shinichi quirked an eyebrow at Hakuba as he stood, ignoring Kaito bouncing over to Nakamori-chan's desk. Hakuba followed when Shinichi left the room, both readily enough to reinforce the belief that he was concerned and cautiously enough to prove unease. Shinichi didn't say anything as he led the other detective to the roof, a quick sweep of the area confirming a lack of eavesdroppers, obvious or otherwise. With a low sigh, Shinichi leaned against the chain-link fence surrounding the rooftop, facing half away from Hakuba (still standing uncertainly just outside the door), and turned his gaze to the sports field below.

He waited.

A minute turned into two before Hakuba moved, footsteps tapping across concrete as the British detective crossed the roof to stop near Shinichi, eventually offering a somewhat hesitant "Kudo-senpai?"

Formality, then—Hakuba _was_ concerned, and on more than one level if he was falling back on such a tone. "Hakuba-kun," Shinichi returned, not moving from where he leaned.

The dull click of a dry swallow, "Is... something wrong?"

Shinichi sighed, turning his head just enough to examine Hakuba out of one eye, "Wrong? No, not 'wrong', as such. I'm just... worried about a friend."

Hakuba's shoulders relaxed slightly as his concern shifted. "Is there anything I can do?"

Shinichi twisted, placing his back against chain-link and tilting his head to look at Hakuba directly, "No. Not yet, and maybe not ever. My friend... well, pride can stand in the way of a lot of things."

Hakuba nodded, stance easing a little more, and Shinichi had the confirmation he'd been looking for that Hakuba had been suspecting syndicate involvement. Well. He wasn't wrong.

Shinichi leaned his head back, staring up at wisps of cloud high above. Hopefully Kaito was having as easy a time talking Nakamori-chan down.

_xxxx_

As it turned out, Kaito was _not_ having as easy a time talking his childhood friend down, as Aoko's set of concerns were entirely different from Hakuba's.

"Aoko, it's not—" Kaito huffed, shook his head, and tried again. "It's hard, sometimes," he admitted, staring out the hall window at dusty grass. Easy to tell if there was anyone within hearing range, here, so this is where he'd led her. "But... Shinichi's worth it. It's not his fault that these things happen around him and he hates all the violence and death as much as I do."

Kaito considered, then grimaced, _"More,_ even. His parents left when he was fourteen, and I can't just—I can't leave him to face it alone."

Aoko deflated, shoulders slumping. "I understand," she murmured, visibly upset and serious enough to actually use a first-person pronoun.

Kaito sighed heavily, "No, you don't. It not just—Aoko, do you _realize_ what it would have meant to me if someone like Shinichi had been there when my dad died? I _know_ what that equipment was supposed to look like, and it wasn't... the police on scene convinced me that it was just the shock, that nothing had been sabotaged, but... Kaa-san and Jii-chan both admitted it last year. There wasn't enough _proof_, though, and since it was officially declared an accident... they didn't have anyone good enough to see it _wasn't. _If someone like Shinichi had been there..."

Aoko paled.

Kaito refused to look at her. He'd never told her about his father having been murdered, before, but somehow it seemed like the right thing to do at that moment. "Shinichi can't give me that. It's been too long, and no matter how good he is, he can't find evidence that was destroyed years ago. But... he can, he _does_, give other people that. _He doesn't let murderers walk away."_

"Kuroba-san... it wasn't an accident?"

Kaito rubbed a hand over his face, grimacing. "Yeah. Kid... told me, and Kaa-san and Jii-chan confirmed it."

Aoko gaped, "Kaitou Kid?"

The magician nodded, "Remember when he first came back? When you said he was better than me and I said I'd prove otherwise?"

Aoko shifted her weight, "Aoko remembers."

"I confronted him on the roof of one of his heists and he... he got down on his knees and apologized, because the people who killed Tou-san had thought that _he_ was Kid. Kid'd been trying to track them down ever since, but when he couldn't find anything, he decided to try and lure them out by returning to staging heists. He's got snipers after him every time he sends out a notice, so it's _working._"

Aoko swallowed. "Is that why... is that why Kaito is Kid's fan?"

Kaito gave a wan smile, "He's risking his life to try and get the people who killed Tou-san caught. I can't hate him for that." True, almost all of it, if occasionally misleading, and at least some would get back to Nakamori-keibu. Who knew? Maybe Division One would get called in after they confirmed the snipers. It'd be nice to have some backup on that front.

_xxxx_


	24. Chapter 23

.

**_Chapter 23_**

For the first time since they'd 'returned', Shinichi and Kaito checked in with each other at the end of school and went separate ways on leaving it. Kaito headed straight back to the Kid workshop while Shinichi headed out to get groceries for that night's dinner and the next morning's breakfast. Hakuba and Aoko tagged along with Shinichi, which was part of the reason that Kaito was comfortable enough to head off in a different direction.

Not much to Shinichi's surprise, he didn't manage to finish shopping before someone screamed in the back of a nearby bakery. He sighed, "Nakamori-san, would you mind heading home on your own? Hakuba-kun and I should probably look into that."

Aoko nodded, a little wide-eyed, and walked off clutching her grocery bag in white-knuckled fingers.

Shinichi shook his head slightly and turned towards the bakery. Again, it seemed a little too familiar, and he ran a quick check of what was against what had been. Same culprit, largely same evidence, but a few details were just a little different. The victim was wearing different clothing and the murderer was scowling more, a little less believable in his faking innocence.

Shinichi kept quiet and stepped back to let Hakuba work, carefully wrangling the Division One officers to show up (Chiba and the elder Takagi—Chousuke, as he had been reminded—as well as two forensics and a junior officer he didn't recognize. He'd never seen much of the elder Takagi as Conan and the man had been transferred to Tottori to help with a large-scale case, according to precinct rumor.)

Despite the fact that he hadn't worked with or around any of the officers to show up that day (in this time, at least, as he knew Chiba fairly well though the reverse was not currently true), none of them protested when he had them staying mostly back from the scene while also hanging back himself. Megure had probably said something to them if they were all right with following his requests.

Nearly an hour later (twenty minutes longer than it had taken him when he'd run into the case as Conan) Hakuba had identified the culprit and provided enough evidence for an arrest... but not enough to be the 'beyond any shadow of doubt' that usually got Shinichi a confession. The man continued to deny his guilt.

Shinichi straightened away from the wall, stepping up next to Hakuba, who immediately shifted into a less commanding stance without seeming to realize it. Shinichi took that as permission and leveled the angry man with a firm glare.

Anger was quickly replaced by wariness and Shinichi shook his head, lips twisting briefly in disgust. This man (and he used the term loosely) had killed his own _son,_ and didn't even have the decency to be sorry for it. Hakuba had enough for an arrest, yes... but he had missed three tiny, key pieces.

Shinichi didn't let those pieces stay hidden, and the man's stance shifted to defiance and rage. There were other things, though, things he'd learned as Conan and hadn't bothered to ask about this time, but things that he could see shadows of evidence pointing to having remained true. "He believed in you, you know," Shinichi informed the (former) father. "He truly thought you were a good person. He vouched for you so you could get into that new apartment and he was looking around for someone who would be willing to hire you so you would be able to have your own job. Your entire reason for killing him—" which had been the irrational belief that his son looked down on him for the fact that he'd only recently been released from jail after driving drunk and hitting two people months before, one of whom had died and the other of whom had not yet woken, "—it wasn't even _real._"

The man wavered, eyes widening. Three seconds later, he sank to his knees, whispering shaky apologies to his son.

Confession enough. Shinichi turned away, grimacing in a mix of disgust and reflexive pity. He didn't understand how people could kill each other, much less over such stupid things as jealousy or slights.

Hakuba was looking at him oddly, but Shinichi ignored it, instead addressing the elder Takagi. "I'll come by the station tomorrow after school," he informed. "I'm going home."

_xxxx_

Kaito glanced up at the ceiling when he heard familiar footsteps echoing down from above his head, wondering why Shinichi had foregone the traditional 'tadaima'. It was usually a bad sign when that happened.

When his husband made his way into the workshop glowering, Kaito had a guess. "Another repeat?"

Shinichi nodded once, "I let Hakuba handle it, for the most part," he sighed, running a frustrated hand through his hair, "It was so _stupid._ The man killed his own _son_ because he felt slighted."

Kaito grimaced, understanding the detective's bad mood, "Want to help plan?"

Shinichi eyed the haphazard stack of blueprints and shook his head, "It'd take too much fun out of the chase."

Kaito smirked, acknowledging the point. "Then why don't you go read a book or something? Relax for a bit."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow and cast a strafing glance across scattered equipment in various stages of assembly. "I'll make dinner," he decided aloud, "and afterwards, I'll help with the standard maintenance. Better hide anything you're planning on only using once, though—you don't want to give anything away ahead of time, do you?"

Kaito grinned, "Nope! I'll be up in another hour."

_xxxx_

Morning dawned bright and warm despite the season, and Kaito cheerfully delivered a riddle-laden cream-colored notecard with a puff of pink smoke and an exaggerated flourish, a white daisy twined with a sprig of heather* taped to the corner.

Shinichi quirked an eyebrow at the flowers and moved on to the heist note.

_For the Beloved of Maat  
and the Paths re-written by Seth  
I will claim the Star from the Eastern Sky  
After Dusk the First Day  
Before the Moon lights the Heavens_

**_Kaitou Kid_** _(doodle)_

Most of it was obvious enough, if only to Shinichi and Kaito. The Beloved of Maat (Truth, Justice, Morality) was clearly Shinichi himself, while the Paths re-written by Seth (Chaos, Disorder) referred to the whole 'time-travel' thing, though no one outside the proverbial 'know' would be able to read that one as it was intended. After the dusk of the First Day probably meant the 'anniversary' of Shinichi and Kaito teaming up on a permanent basis (as that was the only significant date that month), and as Kaito would want the moon visible as soon as possible after the 'gem-stealing moment', it would probably be literally one minute before moonrise.

'The Star from the Eastern Sky', though... that could refer to a number of things, some more likely than others. First (and most likely), the wording could point to something in Egyptian mythology. Of course, Egyptian mythos wasn't Shinichi's area of expertise, so he'd have to check around on that one.

Another possibility was that it was a direct reference to the Morning Star, either the first bright light in the eastern sky before sunrise paints the sky in color or the Christian's Lucifer, the Lightbringer, also known as Satan or the Devil. The last was unlikely, considering the earlier Egyptian deities, but the 'early morning light' one was possible, considering the emphasis Ancient Egypt had placed on the importance of the sun.

So. Time and possible target, but what about place?

... wait. Maat and Seth, Order and Chaos. Place as well as declared 'why'?

Either way, though, Shinichi was going to have to research local gemstones, and... Kaito was smirking at him.

Shinichi quirked an eyebrow with a wry smile. "You set this up just to entertain me, didn't you?"

Kaito's smirk widened into a grin, "Well, it wasn't for Nakamori-keibu and the Taskforce!"

Shinichi shook his head, eyes softening, "I'll still need to hand it over to the police, though."

Kaito waved a hand, simultaneously dismissive and huffy. "I'll write them another copy," he declared, swiping back the card he'd given Shinichi to write "To Meitantei-san" in the top right corner next to where the flowers were taped before handing it back over again. True to his word, he quickly wrote up a second copy, one with a small cluster of bouvardia and hyacinth* taped next to 'To My Lovely Taskforce'.

Shinichi considered the dual messages, "So. I'll be addressing one to you, then?"

Kaito shrugged, "We _do_ want to make it seem like Kid is picking who he invites between the two of us, and Kid is well-known for having all the latest precinct gossip around his taskforce, pertinent or otherwise. I do want it to come off more as 'not both of you' than flirting."

Shinichi snorted, "Kid _always_ flirts with 'his' detectives, or hadn't you noticed?"

Kaito blinked.

"... you hadn't noticed."

"Um," Kaito blinked again, shaking his head numbly.

Shinichi smirked, "I don't think I've ever been hit on in a way more blatantly tailored to my personality than I am at your heists. Even with Conan, you were a terrible flirt!"

"Gah," Kaito shook himself, "Tell me you're not including Hakuba and Nakamori-keibu in that?" It came off more questioning than commanding.

"Traps tailored to individuals? Oh, yes, I'm including those two. With Nakamori, it comes off more as 'But you react so _well_, Keibu!' Hakuba, though..."

Kaito gave a full-body shudder, grimacing, "Gah. Ugh. It's only because he's so uptight! Pranks are good for him!"

"I know," Shinichi agreed, ignoring Kaito's startled glance, "He's getting a lot better at taking things in stride, and I have no doubt your incessant pranking has a lot to do with that. Still, from a detective's point of view—an outside detective's point of view, anyway—that kind of non-lethal directed challenge comes across as a flat-out pickup line."

"Gah," Kaito shivered again, hugging himself, "Shin-chan! I'm not going to be able to prank Hakuba for _days!_"

(Hakuba spent the next week looking over his shoulder, wondering what the crazy magician was planning.)

_xxxx_

_*White daisies symbolize faith._

_*White heather is a symbol of protection and also a statement that wishes can/will come true. In this case, the combination is intended to be a reminder specifically for Shinichi to have faith in the second chance which was a wish that came true._

_*Bouvardia symbolizes enthusiasm_

_*Generic hyacinth reference sports, games, and rashness. (Varying colors have other meanings, one of the better-known of which is purple for "I'm sorry" or "Please forgive me.") In this case hyacinth are for games and rashness to combine with bouvardia for enthusiasm. A kind of Kid-type applause for a fun audience, but scolding for acting without forethought at the same time._

_xxxx_


	25. Chapter 24

.

**_Chapter 24_**

Hakuba had gone home after giving his statement, not certain why Kudo hadn't stuck around long enough to do the same, but he'd deliberately placed all speculation aside until morning. Obviously something was bothering his senpai, and he'd said some very strange things; but food, homework, and sleep seemed like a good way to clear his own head before trying to understand what was going on in Kudo's.

As he ate breakfast, though, Hakuba mulled over the strangeness from the previous afternoon. He'd had been present and able to account for Kudo's whereabouts and distinct _lack_ of questions to various people at the scene, so how had Kudo known about the apartment and job-hunting?

Hakuba _had_ asked questions, but he hadn't been aware of either of those things—it was fairly doubtful that anyone who had been at the scene (either for questioning or otherwise) had even known about the son's attempts to help his father.

Kudo wouldn't have orchestrated it, Hakuba knew that beyond any shadow of doubt, or his first thought would have flicked to conspiracy. As it was, though... more of the mahou that Kuroba and Kudo could use?

If so, what kind? Could Kudo (scary thought) read minds?

... no. That didn't make sense. With the victim dead and the others within the vicinity unaware of those actions, there would have been no one to get the information from but the killer, and said killer hadn't been aware of everything Kudo had brought into the open. So, what? Seeing or hearing ghosts?

But no, again it made no sense and though he'd had _magic_ proved to him, neither of the two had mentioned spirits of any kind. Besides which, if Kudo _could_ see ghosts, he wouldn't have to pick apart the scenes the way he did, with eyes and mind.

Hakuba sighed, rubbing at his forehead. He'd ask after school, perhaps accompany Kudo (and likely Kuroba) to the precinct.

_xxxx_

Shinichi took the twin notices (flowers included, though he wasn't going to explain them unless asked) to Nakamori, deciding to skip the first part of school. Kaito tagged along, alternating between 'excited' and 'pouty' for the prospect of a new Kid heist in a manner that suited Kid's 'number one fan' who had been summarily banned from said new heist.

Nakamori was less displeased to see the teens in his office during school hours than Shinichi would have expected, and was more than willing to let Shinichi take over one of the precinct computers for a quick round of research. Shinichi wondered why, but didn't question it aloud.

Ten minutes later, he was giving a wry huff. "Benu? Really?"

Nakamori glanced over, raising an eyebrow. "Benu?"

"The 'Maat' part is a challenge to me," Shinichi explained, "If there were ever a patron goddess of detectives, Egypt's Maat would be her. Seth stands for chaos and disorder—I'll give you three guesses as to who that points to—but he got a little obscure with the target. There's a lapis carving of a heron with a large citrine used to represent the sun mounted behind it. It's unclear whether it was intended as sunrise or sunset, but Benu is the Ancient Egyptian god of renewal and rebirth, depicted as a large heron. Describable as a water phoenix, as Benu is associated with the Nile. Kid apparently took the heron and the citrine to be 'Benu at dawn', which is a reasonable leap if you're fixating on Egypt. The article referred to the statue with the gemstone as 'Grace of the East', which falls into line with Kid's interpretation, even if it is a bit pretentious."

"Where's it being shown?" Nakamori demanded, standing.

"… Teitan High School's World Art exhibition. Blame the Suzuki family."

Nakamori blinked at him, "Wasn't that the school you went to before you transferred to Ekoda?"

Shinichi covered his face with one hand, "Yes. 'Order and Chaos' also describes just about every high school in existence, and while adding the allusion to myself… he went out of his way to personalize this heist."

Nakamori eyed Shinichi, then cast a glance over at the unusually silent Kaito, who looked like he was completely lost in thought. Apparently this was somewhat worrying to Nakamori, because the man said "Kaito?" in a very nervous tone.

Kaito started, then looked over at the head of Kid's (his) Taskforce, "Oh. Yes, Nakamori-keibu?"

"Are you… all right?"

"Yeah, why?"

Shinichi suppressed a smile, guessing where Nakamori was going with this.

"It's just… you're pretty quiet and it _does_ kind of seem like Kid is hitting on your husband."

Kaito blinked twice, looking rather like he'd been hit with a fish, and Shinichi clamped down on the urge to laugh, signing 'I told you so!' in Kaito's direction.

"Gah," Kaito shook his head, then eyed Nakamori speculatively, "Can I—"

"_No_," Nakamori cut him off. "You can plot out everything you're going to do for next time, but you and Kudo are _not_ allowed to be at a heist together _ever again._"

Shinichi grinned, "Don't worry, Kaito. I'll make sure to bring some soccer balls."

Kaito's return gesture was slightly less than grateful in its sarcasm and they wrapped up their 'work with Nakamori-keibu' session to catch the second half of the school day.

_xxxx_

School was nerve-wracking, at least for Hakuba. He'd met up with Kudo and Kuroba at the beginning of lunch—that being when the two arrived at school, hours late—and Kuroba didn't prank him even once. If it came to it, Kuroba wasn't even _looking_ at him.

... was something wrong with him?

Hakuba didn't bother to be subtle about his eying the usually irrepressible prankster.

Kuroba edged to Kudo's other side and Hakuba tilted his head slightly, worried—and then he caught Kudo's smirk and immediately decided that he didn't need to be concerned for Kuroba's health and probably didn't want to know.

Kuroba glared at Kudo, still avoiding looking at Hakuba, "Shinichi! You're _mean._"

Kudo's smirk widened and he flicked his fingers in the magician's direction, earning a blushing grimace and a huff.

Right. Hakuba _definitely_ didn't want to know.

_xxxx_

Aoko glanced up as Kaito, for the first time that day (and it was nearing the end of school), decided to cause a minor scene during the short break before final period. The fact that it _was_ minor was almost as much a surprise as how long he'd stayed quiet.

"Will the day never _end?_" Kaito intoned dramatically, flipping around and sprawling backwards over the top of his desk in a way that made him look like some bizarre cross between cat and human.

Kudo-kun shook his head, "You're being ridiculous."

Kaito sat up using only his abdominal muscles and spun to face his husband, gesturing wildly, and the rest of the class tensed. "I can't prank _anyone!_"

Several people looked relieved at that and Aoko wondered how Kudo-kun had managed to get _Kaito_ to be so adamant about not pranking.

"Sure you can," Kudo-kun refuted, much to the horror of the class as a whole, "You're just taking that conversation from last night a little too seriously."

"I _can't!_ You're _mean!_"

Aoko watched with interest as the detective raised an eyebrow, "I fail to see what one has to do with the other."

"You-you-you—" in apparent desperation, Kaito twisted to face the desk next to his, "Hakuba! Do I flirt with you?"

A pause and Hakuba-kun (and everyone else) looked baffled, then the blond seemed to consider. After a moment, he grimaced, "I refuse to dignify that with an answer."

"Gah!" Kaito flopped off his desk to the floor in a way that looked a lot more painful than it probably was. "_Shinichi!_"

Kudo-kun smirked, "_You're_ the one who dug the hole, Kai-_chan._"

Kaito gave up, rolling over and burying his face in his arms, still on the floor. "I forgot that _your_ pranks involve inducing psychosis in your targets," he informed, muffled by the flooring.

Kudo-kun snickered at him, and Aoko wondered what exactly the referenced conversation had been about. Kaito seemed a little traumatized.

Aoko considered that for a moment, then reflected on Kaito's strange question… and decided she wasn't going to ask.

_xxxx_

"Senpai…" Hakuba paused as Kaito and Shinichi both glanced at him as the made their way through the crowded train station, aiming for the connection to Beika.

"You… _knew_ things, yesterday."

Kaito understood instantly. The case had been a 'repeat' (like most, these days) and Shinichi must have said something that he shouldn't have known but had been right about anyway.

Shinichi grimaced at the not-question, nodding once.

Hakuba hesitated, "… how?"

"You might say… I'd seen it before."

_True_, Kaito noted. True and probably misleading.

"Seen it… _visions?_" Hakuba didn't sound as skeptical as he once might have.

"Nothing so defined," Shinichi sighed, "I'd solved it once, without you there, and this time I didn't have to ask questions I already had answers to. The evidence was there—nothing had really changed. What had been true remained true. So. I let him see the truth he'd blinded himself to."

"If you knew it would happen, why—"

Kaito cut in sharply, "It doesn't work that way, Hakuba. Knowing _what_ doesn't mean knowing when or where, and the one time we knew what _and_ where; we were off on the _when_ and Shinichi ended up drenched in blood!"

Hakuba drew up short, blanching. He'd seen the police report as well as the news articles, and then he'd seen Shinichi the next day, drawn and tired. He wasn't stupid, Kaito knew that, so he _had_ to have gotten part of it.

"I've _tried,_" Shinichi rubbed a hand over his face, "and… gods, but I hope that at least _once,_ it will _work._"

Kaito closed his eyes on seeing the aborted hand-gesture—Ai's name. He'd met Akemi for the first time not even a week before, but Haibara had become a friend to him and Shinichi had seen her die, getting there too late to make a difference.

Worse, even, than only the aftermath would have been, and Kaito sent out his own prayer that Akemi would take their offer. _Don't make him suffer that again,_ was the only thing he could ask.

Shinichi tried so _hard._ It wouldn't be fair to never let him succeed.

(Despair had been trapped within Pandora's Box, and maybe that was what this was about, seeing what would go wrong and being unable to stop it.)

Kaito shifted, his shoulders straightening. He wouldn't _let_ this chance fail. If the rules of the world sentenced sameness, then he would just break the rules. Kaitou Kid could, had, _would_ rewrite the world. For (with) Shinichi. For everyone he knew and cared for.

(And maybe, also, for himself.)

_xxxx_

Hakuba frowned, mulling over that rather surprising (and disconcerting) revelation while waiting for Kudo to finish his statement. Something about how it had been said…

Not 'visions', but then what? He had seen it, but the way Kudo—and Kuroba, now that Hakuba took the time to pick apart what had been said—had spoken had seemed more like 'already happened' as opposed to 'maybe but not yet'.

And the 'trying'… No wonder Kudo had been so subdued after the Tropical Land debacle. If he'd known it was coming—or seen it as though it had already happened—and tried to prevent only to _fail…_

Hakuba pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling tiredly. If he ever had evidence that something could happen (or sometimes even _might_) and he didn't manage to stop it, he generally felt it for weeks afterwards, no matter that he'd never admit it aloud.

If he had ever had a no-shadow-of-doubt _would_ and failed to prevent when _there…_

And, from the sound of it, Kudo had the same sense of other scenes as though he'd walked them before, as though he'd checked over and found evidence and talked to the people and probably arrested the killer. That was…

Hakuba cut off the thought, stifling and burying it. _Need not to know._

It was enough that Kudo obviously had some kind of knowledge that he shouldn't (couldn't). Hakuba didn't want to know how or why. He would not let himself wonder.

Sometimes, answers were given simply for the asking, and there were answers out there that he didn't want to find.

_xxxx_


	26. Chapter 25

.

**_Chapter 25_**

"Oh, that's right, Kudo-kun? Nakamori-keibu wanted to speak with you and Kuroba-kun," Megure remembered aloud, no longer having to focus on the now-settled paperwork. Really, the youngest Kudo should have a checkbox on the forms by this point.

"Huh," Kudo's lips curled upwards slightly as he considered the piece of information, "He specified both of us? Well. We'll stop by the Ekoda station on the way home, then."

Megure nodded amiably, pleased that Kudo was pleased because it meant that whatever it was about was unlikely to be upsetting and was probably at least partially pre-planned. "I'll let him know when you're on the way."

Kuroba bounced in place, visibly excited. "Do you think they approved us?"

"Approved you?" Megure asked, intrigued.

"Mm. The Taskforce could use some less conventional training to deal with Kid and his crazy antics. I suggested another crazy magician as a kind-of acclimation procedure."

Megure blinked, glancing between Kaito and Shinichi himself. "Kuroba-kun?"

"I don't deny the insanity." A very Kid-like smirk had Megure taking a careful half-step back. If he hadn't seen the footage of Kuroba and Kid in the same room (with Kudo, at that) he'd think Kuroba _was_ Kid from that expression.

Kudo shrugged at him, a wry smile crossing his face, "Kaito's great practice, and I'm pretty sure if he dressed up as Kid, the Taskforce wouldn't know the difference. All he needs to do is swap his smoke colors to pink for the sessions."

"Shin-chan, will you dress up with me? If we try _really_ hard, we can give the entire Taskforce conniptions!"

Megure grimaced at the image going through his head—Kid really _had_ looked exactly like Kuroba in facial structure and add in Kudo's identical structure and coloring (and the fact that Kudo's mother was a crazy actress) and… "I don't think that would take much effort, under the circumstances."

Kudo snickered and Megure flushed lightly and cleared his throat, not having meant to say that out loud. "Either way, Kudo-kun, you don't have anything left to file today, so you and Kuroba-kun are free to go."

"Thanks, Megure-keibu," Kudo accepted the implied 'get out of here' with easy grace. "Come on, Kaito. Let's call ahead to Nakamori-keibu. I'm pretty sure you've got more than one homemade Kid-suit hanging around in that fan-closet of yours, and if you really want to make an impression, we should get permission to use them."

Megure winced. He'd met Kudo's mother and Kuroba was insane.

If Kudo and Kuroba had just decided to full-on impersonate Kaitou Kid, he held great sympathy for Nakamori and the Kid Taskforce. After a brief moment of consideration and seeing the terrifyingly crazy grin the magician shot at Kudo as they walked away, he sent a silent prayer to Hotei for the Taskforce's collective sanity.

_xxxx_

"Did he seriously just say we could do this?" Kaito asked, not quite believing the permission Nakamori had granted. So, yeah, the permission to train was expected—or, at least, not _unexpected._ Besides, things were just too easy with the Taskforce these days, and if people started questioning their ability, they might start getting members _replaced,_ and that would never do.

Still, permission to go 'in uniform' as it were?

Shinichi took a single step back, snapping his fingers in a manner that showed he was as much a Kid as Kaito, using his own mahou to swap his casual clothing to his own Kid suit (which Kaito had made sure he had during his first equipment stocking session upon 'returning'). Ironically, Shinichi always outdid Kaito in mahou-style magic for all that he rarely used it, matching Kaito's own tricks with things that weren't tricks at all. Shinichi's sleight-of-hand had never been quite up to Kaito's level.

Taking that as the answer it was obviously intended to be, Kaito grinned and pulled on his own suit in a blur of indecipherable motion. "Let's go!"

A police-owned warehouse (usually a training obstacle course, which had been dismantled and set aside for the time being, according to Nakamori) was their directed meeting-point with the Taskforce, and Kaito wanted to leave an impression_._ The fact that Shinichi obviously did, too, was going to make this _epic._

They'd have to set up their own obstacle course once they had a clearer idea of what they had to work with, but Kaito was going to have his Taskforce be the best in the world by the time he was through with them.

(But not as good as him.)

_xxxx_

Nakamori Ginzo wasn't going to admit it out loud, but he was a bit nervous. Just a bit. As in, Kudo and Kaito both looked so much like Kid himself that if they really showed up in white suits—and knowing Kaito, there _would_ be hang-gliders attached—it was going to be more than a little alarming. He must have been _insane_ to agree to Kaito's off-hand request.

… at least it was likely to get his men in the right mindset for taking this seriously.

Still, the idea of two Kids (and those two were as bad as or worse than the real thing when competing) was almost enough to have him heading for the proverbial hills. Still, Nakamori was the head of the Taskforce, and he couldn't abandon his men.

He spared a prayer to the Seven*, and braced himself.

_xxxx_

Sensui Yoichi* had been a part of the Taskforce since it had been reformed upon Kaitou Kid's reappearance, and he'd had one more up close and personal encounter than he liked to admit to.

Namely the one at the Ekoda clock tower, where he hadn't even managed to get out of his squad car before Kid had gotten the drop on him. Until that had happened, he hadn't been aware it was _possible_ to open a locked car door that fast, key or no key.

He'd woken up in his undershirt and boxers, tape being pulled off his mouth and hands not yet untied, and found out that he'd not only slept through the entire heist on some Kid-made sleeping drug but his badge, uniform, face, and _voice_ had been used as Kid's way into the building.

No one had blamed him for it—it was _Kid,_ after all—but it was an unofficial smudge on his service record, at least in his own mind. If Nakamori-keibu said that a couple of high school students had the ability to teach him how to avoid a repeat of that particular embarrassment and possibly even increase the chances of catching the international criminal… well, he wasn't going to protest.

But Nakamori was looking a little nervous, and he wasn't entirely certain what that meant. Yes, the man had said something about a magician who could pull off very Kid-like tricks and a detective that had some magic tricks of his own, but—Sensui's thoughts stopped there as a puff of pink smoke appeared in the middle of the training warehouse's currently empty floor, his unfortunately well-practiced 'Kid!' alerts going off from the familiar color.

Smoke wisped away to show exactly the person he'd feared, a feral grin turning the usually only somewhat mind-breaking thief into something outright _terrifying._

Why (because 'how' was a stupid question) had _Kid himself _gotten involved in this?

_xxxx_

_*the Seven is my way of abbreviating 'the Seven Lucky Gods'. I figure that if Nakamori _doesn't _call on them, he should. Especially considering Kid/Kaito's habit of warping the universe his way._

_*Sensui Yoichi is indeed used in the manner described above in the Magic Kaito 1412 Anime Episode 6 (Japanese version), although I'm extrapolating without proof on when he joined the Taskforce._


	27. Chapter 26

.

**_Chapter 26_**

It had only been after some serious consideration that Kaito decided to drop fully into 'Kid-mode' for the introductions, as it were, and it was only with the understanding that Shinichi was going to be doing the exact same thing. Of course, it was a little tinted with the 'not at a heist' lack of seriousness (not that Kid often _seemed_ serious), which might have led to the fact that Sensui-san had gone pretty white on seeing him.

The dumbfounded expressions crossing surrounding Taskforce faces had Kaito's lips curving up in a crooked and probably somewhat evil grin, and he did a visual sweep of the crowd even as he gave a theatrically mocking bow, "Gentlemen," he greeted with the English word, as apparently the Taskforce didn't have any women at the moment. Too bad really; Kaname Michi* had given even better reactions than Nakamori-keibu, even if hers had involved somewhat less swearing. "I hear you're looking for a little extra training."

Nakamori was manfully refraining from yelling 'get him', going from his expression, though he was starting to give suspicious looks to the area. This was going to be _fun._

"International Criminal 1412," a matching voice called from above, inflection just as authentically 'Kid' as Kaito's own. A flicker of white and a familiar 'whoosh' as a glider briefly deployed inside to act as a makeshift parachute (with added directional control!) and Kaito raised his eyes to a living reflection, "Or would you prefer 'Kaitou Kid'?"

"Oh, either is fine, Thief-san," Kaito's own expression turned a little more devious as he met Shinichi's monocle-diffused gaze. "And yourself?"

"I've become quite fond of Yuusaku-san's title, Kid-san," the matching smirk on a matching face had strangled sounds coming from the majority of the gathered officers. "However, we should attend to the reason we both came here, no?"

_xxxx_

Nakamori collapsed into his chair, attempting (and failing, from the lack of obvious reaction) to glare at the two white-suited teens standing across the desk from him. He was _exhausted,_ and it had only been two hours!

The two had—after the mind-numbingly _terrifying_ introduction—explained who they were and why they were there before simultaneously dropping back into their 'Kid' acts.

Nakamori had been forced to admit those acts were _entirely_ convincing. The only thing that had kept him (and most of the rest of his force) from breaking down into sobs of horror at Kid's apparent ability to multiply himself was the fact that the two (no one could tell which was which, either, and that was scary all on its own) had gone very obviously easy on the Taskforce. In fact, they'd shown how some of their simpler tricks were done and taken turns walking the group through some basic countermeasures.

Then they'd taken turns assaulting them with magician-style pranks that were so very _Kid_ that the slight sense of 'maybe this isn't so bad' that had eventually permeated the area morphed straight back into 'oh, gods, we're all going to _die_'. Forget the Apocalypse or Armageddon or even the Norse's Ragnarök, the world was going to end in _pink smoke _and_ glitter_.

Even knowing it was Kaito and Kudo, Nakamori had found himself having trouble thinking of either (or both) as anything other than Kid for the duration.

"What?" Kaito asked, sounding a bit wary, and Nakamori realized he'd been eying the two halfheartedly for several minutes.

"Either this is the best idea we've ever had or the worst," Nakamori decided aloud, "I think you broke several minds."

Kaito grinned broadly while Kudo actually looked a little sympathetic, "Well, I know it may seem like a bit much, but they really did improve noticeably and it was only the first session."

Nakamori huffed, "I'm glad you think so, Kudo-kun, but I can't say I see it."

"Oh?" Kudo blinked at him and he caught a flicker in the corner of his vision.

Startled, Nakamori leaned back and reached out a hand, catching something that felt wet even as it crumbled into glittery color in his hand. "… Do I want to know?" he asked tiredly.

Kudo smirked, more his usual satisfaction than the Kid-mischief that he'd been employing while helping Kaito cause minor breakdowns in reality. "There, you see? You caught that before Kaito could hit you properly, which means you are not currently sporting…" Kudo paused, glancing at the already-dry muddy color in his palm, "… rainbow-patterned red, blue, and yellow hair. You might want to put some lotion on your hand before you try to wash that off, though. It'll set if you put soap on it without something oil-based first."

Nakamori stared at the smirk, then glanced over at Kaito's self-satisfied grin, and found himself having to concede the point. Kaito didn't make a habit of pranking him, but he'd seen the boy prank others (Hakuba especially) from time to time, and he'd never managed to see how it was done, much less have had a hope of intercepting even if he was close enough.

That all basically boiled down to the boys' mind-breaking 'training methods' being more effective than Nakamori had dared to hope.

Kaitou Kid would never know what hit him.

_xxxx_

"Too bad it's only the one training session before the heist," Kaito half-pouted before perking up again, "Still, it'll be interesting to see how many of them manage to dodge the pre-set traps."

"Keeping the pre-sets at the old level?" Shinichi asked, amused.

Kaito nodded, "It would be a little weird if Kid stepped up the difficulty before he sees what they've learned."

Shinichi was more than willing to concede that point, as he'd been thinking the same thing. "Making the Taskforce's improvement obvious is a good idea," he agreed aloud. "Still…" fingers flicked a secondary message, _'We need to set up the cameras and we've only got three days.'_

Kaito tipped his head, "Mm. That's true. And what about Ai and her sister?"

Shinichi sighed, "Honestly, I don't know. I haven't heard from either of them, and it's getting… _close_."

Kaito echoed the sigh, "Well, I _think_ we've got Ai's workplace pinned, and the doves have managed to catch more than we'd really expected them to, but nothing that makes sense out of context."

Shinichi grimaced at that, "I know. Still, every little bit helps, and we're probably doing better than most of the others."

"So, what about Jodie-san?"

"Jodie and James haven't gotten here yet," Shinichi shrugged, "but they let _Conan_ take the lead on a lot of things, so they shouldn't have a problem with you and me as we are."

Kaito smiled slightly, "Jodie-san and James-san had the leader listening to you, too, didn't they?"

Shinichi nodded, "It was weird, really, but I guess the Americans don't argue with results."

Kaito smirked, "Americans _like_ results. If they get them from a six-year-old, they'll just shrug and go with it."

"I noticed," Shinichi returned the smirk with a half-smile, "Feels nostalgic to think about, now, but either way we need to set up a few things and see Agasa and Jii."

"I think we should introduce those two to each other," Kaito informed.

Shinichi blinked, "Huh. I… kind of forgot they haven't met. They were interestingly well partnered in producing equipment."

"Jii-chan's always had great ideas," Kaito agreed, "He just doesn't have the ability to make them real, but Agasa is great at that kind of thing."

"And since Jii's ideas are honestly more practical…"

"Exactly!" Kaito bounced over to snatch his phone from the table, "I'll call Jii-chan and ask him to meet us in Beika."

"I'll let Agasa know we're coming," Shinichi agreed, getting up to grab his own phone. "Might be safer to meet in the Black house, though."

Kaito waved acknowledgement and greeted his assistant over the phone line, leaving Shinichi to call his own 'assistant'.

Shinichi shrugged and dialed Agasa's home phone. "Hey, Hakase? Is it all right if we come over?"

_xxxx_

Agasa Hiroshi rarely had anything in particular to do aside from work on his many (and admittedly often failed) inventions. The fact that Shinichi had come to him with blueprints for what amounted to weaponized toys and some very strange transportation devices and a rather ingenious voice modifier that Shinichi had said he didn't need anymore due to extensive training time with Kaitou Kid.

More to the point, they were his own _working_ inventions that he had made, and improved upon, and given to Shinichi in a timeline he'd never see. He didn't know why he'd made such things, as Shinichi and his new husband had been vague about a great deal of their collective past, but he recognized certain tells of his own work and knew that those boys had been telling the truth.

He'd made things that had helped Shinichi enough that the detective had asked Agasa to make them again, and that was… astounding, really. As optimistic as he generally made himself act, he didn't really expect most of his ideas to work. He knew he was trying to make things that were patently ridiculous, and the fact that most of them were intended to be advanced children's toys was really the main reason.

When they blew up, it was a good indicator that they weren't safe for children.

Now, though—this was odd. A _good_ odd, but odd.

Shinichi was calling to ask to come see him, and he had to wonder what had changed in the future-that-wasn't. Shinichi had always been friendly towards him, yes, but he'd not been _open_ with him. He hadn't _relied_ on a somewhat eccentric inventor of a next-door-neighbor even though he'd been left alone at fourteen in a huge (and depressing, if you asked Agasa) western-style mansion.

Shinichi had been independent, standing alone even as a young teen, matching wits with policemen and murderers, and inevitably proving that he could see through any lie.

So, yes, Agasa had to wonder what had happened, what had _changed_ in that nonexistent future that only a detective and a thief remembered. Strange that Shinichi would stand by a thief, and stranger still that he would rely on anyone_._

That he would rely on _Agasa._

Strange… but oddly gratifying. Shinichi had never really looked _down_ on him, but he had often shaken his head at Agasa's latest blown-out walls and avoided initial testing of prototypes.

Now, Shinichi held a faith in him that Agasa hadn't expected to see from _anyone._

He silently vowed not to break that faith.

_xxxx_

_*Made Kaname Michi up, as my story is covering time not yet covered in canon, and obviously going to turn (more) AU if that time _does_ get covered in canon._

_xxxx_


	28. Chapter 27

.

**_Chapter 27_**

"Those two are _miracle workers_," Kaito decided aloud two days later, staring at the spread of equipment laid out before him as Shinichi continued to poke through the various discarded Agasa-only prototypes off to the side.

"Didn't we already know that?" Shinichi asked, lifting one of the more frivolous prototypes (a bipedal dinosaur robot) and examining it closely.

"Yes, but it needed to be reiterated," Kaito picked up the forerunner to his favorite grappling hook and popped the casing off it to check that the mechanism was the one he thought it was (easy to maintain, decent distance, automatic retract with enough power to lift him and Shinichi both) and nodded to himself before reassembling it easily.

Shinichi didn't dispute the point, "How's the adhesive on the new tracking stickers?"

"Not bad. Should degrade after about five hours of oxygen exposure, allowing the tracker to drop off. Looks like the trackers themselves are designed to dissolve in a similar manner, but take another half-hour after the adhesive goes."

"That explains the packaging," Shinichi observed, carefully setting the allosaur on the table just past the end of the cloth covered in heist gadgets and spy-tools. It wasn't finished, but Agasa had eventually gotten it working and made one for each of the Shonen Tantei-dan, though he'd modified the structure of Ayumi's to be the more cuddly feathered segnosaur, as Kaito had seen during one of what Shinichi called his 'stalking days'. That one would probably never be made, but the prototype clearly held a fond place in Shinichi's memory from the careful handling, and it was possible that Agasa would still make more of the allosaurs that other children would one day play with.

Kaito hummed agreeably, glancing down the line of equipment for anything else that might be particularly helpful. They'd already set up their own surveillance cameras in hard-to-see nooks and crannies both on the heist building's roof and the grounds further away from the heist site proper, where there was a higher probability of unpleasant guests.

So, the fact that he'd chosen a gem that was to be housed in a high school had _probably_ not been too well thought-out, as the sheer space that needed to be covered was ridiculous and they simply didn't have enough cameras to cover everywhere, even from a distance. Still, they did have to try.

"Shinichi," Kaito decided aloud, "You get to pick the next location."

The wry chuckle had him huffing, but Shinichi didn't give him _too_ hard a time for the not-quite-admission. "No more high-schools?"

"Preferably not," Kaito grimaced, "I was thinking more about cheering you up than being practical."

"I appreciate the thought," Shinichi told him, lips quirking into that fond half-smile that made Kaito feel like he'd done something right.

"Well. Either way, it should be pretty fun!"

Shinichi snorted, somehow elegant even in the undignified sound. Like _always._

Kaito pouted at him. Sometimes Shinichi's ability to come off as completely dignified in pretty much _any_ situation made Kaito a little jealous, to be honest. He had to _try_ to pull that off, no matter how effortless he made it look when he _was_ trying.

"You're just looking forward to adding to the trauma we've inflicted on the Taskforce."

"… that is not untrue," Kaito had to concede, pout transforming into a grin.

Shinichi shook his head, smirking. "You're right, though. That _will_ be fun."

_xxxx_

Agasa stayed out of the boys' way as Kaito poked through equipment and Shinichi sifted through the 'to discard' prototypes, sketching out further ideas as he occasionally glanced over to see how the new gadgets were being received.

Kaito-kun was clearly pleased, and Agasa had caught the 'miracle workers' comment, but it was Shinichi who had him curious. The meitantei was ignoring the equipment he and Jii had put together for the scheduled heist and the self-destructing (so to speak) tracers alike in favor of looking through prototypes that Agasa was ready to give up on now that he'd found something he was so successful at.

He may have missed out on a lot of Shinichi's life, considering the whole situation with that 'Pandora' thing, but he wasn't blind and he still knew Shinichi well enough to see the care with which he handled the dinosaur that kept on spitting sparks out every joint within twenty minutes of being turned on.

Agasa frowned, wondering about the quietly wistful expression on Shinichi's face as he gently set the toy on the table. He couldn't think of any reason for Shinichi to have that look, even if he had managed to get that prototype working.

… Unless… From what those boys had said, they'd been _thirty-five_ when whatever strange phenomenon had sent them 'back'. Had Shinichi had children? If so, who had he married? Had they been killed by this syndicate that the boys were trying so hard to take down or had he been forced to leave them behind?

And why had he married Kaito-kun this time? Wouldn't that make it impossible for his children to be born?

Agasa had noticed how much quieter Shinichi was, these days. How much _sadder,_ really, and he had to wonder just what had been left out of the story.

He was hesitant to ask. He had no idea how many open wounds he could be stepping on with careless questions; but that sad, wistful smile when Shinichi looked down at the robotic prototype was concerning.

And there probably wasn't even anything Agasa could do to make things better.

_xxxx_

'Hakase looks upset,' Kaito signed when Shinichi glanced in his direction, causing the detective to pause and subtly turn his attention towards the professor.

Kaito was right. Agasa _did_ look upset—the concerned kind that Shinichi had grown all too familiar with over the years as Conan, where the man was often worrying about his emotional wellbeing over his physical.

What had he… of course. He hadn't been 'masking' at all, the familiar surroundings and equally familiar companions having him comfortable enough to not, and surely someone who had known him since he'd been a very young child would recognize the nostalgia he'd directed at the robot he'd so carefully moved from the box of likely discards to the table.

Agasa was probably wondering why. Shinichi wasn't a child, after all, and he and Kaito hadn't exactly been explicit in their explanation, having skipped over the whole 'redoing grade school' thing. It was possible that the professor thought he'd had a child of his own, to be so gentle with a toy.

Best set him straight before the man started sharing theories with Shinichi's parents.

_xxxx_

Around the same time as Shinichi started clearing things up for certain concerned parties (and half a city away), Hakuba was finding himself very, very frustrated on a case he'd stumbled across that was very much not murder.

Well, 'stumbled' wasn't quite the right word. Nakamori-san had said that Momoi Keiko's mother was worried about possible fraud in her workplace and Hakuba had agreed to take a look at the records. So far, the inconsistencies were there, yes, but they were so scattered and with so many names attached that Hakuba really didn't know what to do with it.

Finally, he sighed and turned to Momoi-san, "I'm sorry, Momoi-san, but I am primarily a violent crimes detective. While I can see why you are concerned, spreadsheets and numbers on this scale are not something I am familiar with working with. Given time, I may be able to come up with an answer for you, but it would be more efficient for me to call in aid."

The woman considered for several long seconds, then nodded a bit, "If you can think of someone who would be willing to look into this quietly… I don't want to draw attention to my thoughts without proof."

"… and at the moment, any evidence is circumstantial," Hakuba nodded once, "I can certainly try. I can think of another detective who may be more successful with this; though he is almost entirely based in homicide, he has worked cases where the motive was fraud cover-up, I'm certain."

The woman shifted nervously and Hakuba realized that maybe that hadn't been the best choice of words. "Would it be all right if I remained here for a time?" he half-offered, "It would be less suspicious if they came 'looking' for me."

"They?" Momoi-san frowned in slight confusion, "I thought you said there was one detective you could ask?"

"There is," Hakuba agreed, "but if I call him, there is little doubt that his husband will 'tag along' as it were. I'm sure you've heard of them from your daughter by now; Kudo Shinichi and Kuroba Kaito? They're in our class."

The woman blinked twice, then smiled a bit, "Keiko used to complain about Kuroba-kun's antics constantly, but now she gushes over how Kudo-kun keeps him under control. I'd thought the name was familiar—he's the one the news has been calling 'High School Detective of the East' and 'Heisei Holmes', right?"

Hakuba nodded, lips quirking wryly, "I had expected the latter nickname to be an exaggeration, to be honest, but after meeting him… Kudo-senpai is _terrifyingly_ good. Give me a moment to send a message, and then you and I can discuss pricing possibilities for an overhaul on the electric grid for the mansion's security systems. It will give me a reasonable excuse to take a while."

_xxxx_

Shinichi's phone beeped once, drawing his attention away from an increasingly interested Agasa-hakase who was trying to make sense of the whole 'shrinking' story (but had at least gotten a good idea as to why he'd invented such well-disguised non-lethal weapons). Holding up one hand to halt the professor's questions, Shinichi pulled out the cell and glanced down.

"Huh," he blinked at the screen, drawing Kaito over.

"'Huh' what?"

"Hakuba wants some help with a possible fraud case Momoi-san's mother is concerned about."

"Momoi-san? As in our classmate?" Kaito tilted his head curiously, "Huh."

"Mm. He's sent us the address of the building and requests we come as soon as we can."

Kaito hummed thoughtfully, "Well, he doesn't ask for help often, so we'd better check it out."

Shinichi nodded, fingers flicking agreement as he glanced at Agasa, "Sorry, Hakase, but we've got to head out. My 'kohai*' is calling.

_xxxx_

*_Senpai is 'senior' to kohai's 'junior', in the sense of scholastic levels, but is also used in more specific mentoring situations, such as the case of Shinichi and Hakuba in this story._

_xxxx_


	29. Chapter 28

.

**_Chapter 28_**

"Haku-chan!" a familiar voice called, its owner throwing open the door and bounding into the office looking horribly affronted with a visibly embarrassed Kudo jogging behind.

Strong fingers caught Kuroba's collar and dragged him back three steps to the door, Kudo bowing apologetically, "I'm sorry about him, Momoi-san," he gave Kuroba a light shake, "Kaito, apologize! It's rude to interrupt, especially without even knocking!"

"But Hakuba _forgot!_ He was supposed to meet us _hours_ ago!"

Hakuba frowned, "I didn't—" he paused, catching the minute head-shake that could easily be interpreted as exasperation with Kuroba, but that he could see was directed at him and not the pouting magician. He'd asked for subtle, and apparently, he'd gotten it. So subtle that _he_ hadn't caught on without the hint. "—right, of course, I'm sorry, senpai. I got caught up in the security system's grid planning. I forgot to call and say I couldn't make it… how did you know where I was?"

"Aoko," Kaito tried (and failed) to shake the restraining grip on his collar, "You're _never_ late, so I called her to ask if she knew where you were and she said Keiko-chan said you were where her mom worked, so…"

Hakuba pinched the bridge of his nose in feigned exasperation, privately impressed by the easy acting, "I'm not finished here, but if you're willing to wait…"

Kudo shrugged, "We've been to your place. Security is being set to a separate grid, right? Kaito's good with architecture and I'm good with detail-work—we might be able to help."

Hakuba pretended to consider, noting that Momoi-san seemed confused, "True. You may as well come in, then. And close the door—Kuroba's been disruptive enough already."

"Of course," Kudo released Kuroba and the magician bounced into the room again while Kudo closed the door behind them. Hakuba noticed a low sound as Kuroba presented Momoi-san with a small cluster of bright pink azalea* and it took him a moment to place it.

White noise generator? They were taking his request for discretion very seriously. Did they suspect something unfortunate or were they simply following something they considered 'standard procedure'?

"Well," Kudo stepped forward as Kuroba finished his cheery greeting, "Momoi-san, I'm Kudo Shinichi. Hakuba said you wanted us to be discreet, so…"

The confusion cleared into surprise, then a relieved smile, "I wasn't expecting you to be quite so attentive to that. I really thought that Hakuba-kun had forgotten about meeting you somewhere!"

Kudo shook his head, lips quirking wryly, "Kaito wasn't exaggerating when he said Hakuba-kun is never late. If there is something that may hold him up, he invariably finds a way to pass on a message. That aside, what have you got for us?"

_xxxx_

Shinichi pursed his lips, eying the payroll printouts. Between those and the spreadsheets of various expenses and client payments…

'This is too extensive,' he tapped against the desktop, 'and it looks to be going back further than six months.'

Kaito's fingers flicked acknowledgement and Shinichi tapped a secondary question.

At the magician's agreement, he turned his attention to Hakuba and Momoi-san, "This is far more extensive than it appears at first glance. While I agree that it is probably fraud of some sort, it is not only one person involved and I don't think it began as recently as you think it did, Momoi-san. I'll keep looking into it, but this isn't going to be a quick-solve case; there is simply too much here."

'Them?' Kaito tapped out, the quick triple at the end making the question obvious.

'Possibly,' Shinichi tapped back.

"We'll have to be careful," Kaito stated aloud. "Momoi-san, it would be best if you kept your suspicions entirely to yourself. If we're right, this is several billions' worth of redirected yen with at least five people involved. If even one of them is willing to kill to try and cover the crime, then it could be dangerous to let anyone know you've noticed the discrepancy. Let us handle this and just continue with your job as though you haven't noticed anything… or find somewhere else to work if you can't pretend. I'd rather you stayed safe; Keiko-chan _is_ a friend."

Momoi-san swallowed nervously, nodding. "I'll be careful. Thank you for coming."

Shinichi nodded slightly, "We'll figure this out."

_xxxx_

Hakuba glanced at his two classmates as they left the office building, "Is there something I'm not seeing about this case?"

Kuroba half-shrugged, "It _might_ be Them. I'm not sure how likely it is, but I know they have more income sources than just their trading and information systems. Considering the amount of diverted funds… it's possible."

Hakuba didn't—_quite_—wince. He still didn't know quite what those two were up against, aside from it being something multinational and dangerous, but that was an unsettling possibility. "I… see," he stated, a little less evenly than he would have liked.

Kuroba rolled his eyes at him, "I know you're a detective and all, but really, Haku-chan, you could do better."

Kudo sighed, "'Detective' is still not synonymous with 'unimaginative', Kaito. He's being overly diplomatic, not obtuse."

"You're all critics," Kuroba complained.

Hakuba considered the source of the complaint and had to concede the point. That didn't mean he had to admit it, though. "Kuroba, you should have learned that a detective will always try to see through a magician's tricks. It is in the job description to find the truth behind the illusion."

Kuroba grinned, "You said 'try'."

He'd walked right into that one, Hakuba admitted to himself, grimacing.

"Kaito, stop using distraction tactics," Kudo ordered, glancing over. "Hakuba, if you really want to know, we can talk about it later. For now, though…" Kudo rolled his shoulders as though to loosen tension, "Kaito and I still need to get back to Agasa-hakase."

Hakuba grimaced. Of course he'd interrupted them; they were always doing something and had a heist scheduled the next evening. They _had_ to be busy. "Sumimasen," he apologized, "I hope I didn't interrupt anything important."

Somewhat to his surprise, it was Kuroba who fielded the response, "Eh, nothing that couldn't wait," the magician waved a hand dismissively, "You don't ask for things often enough, so it wasn't a problem at all."

Hakuba paused. That implied… quite a bit, actually. He'd have to think about that. "Either way, thank you for coming. Will I see you at school tomorrow?"

Kudo shrugged one shoulder, "Unless something comes up in the interim. Either way, we'll try."

Considering Kudo's luck, that was a fair answer. "All right. See you later, then."

_xxxx_

"Jii-chan!" Kaito grinned, waving an enthusiastic greeting to his unofficial (because of legality) assistant in most things heist-related.

"Jii-san," Kaito's husband echoed the greeting less flamboyantly.

Jii glanced up from the countertop he'd been polishing while the four customers were at the tables, "Ah, Kaito-bocchama, Kudo-san, welcome! Do you need anything?"

Kaito half-shrugged, "I'd like a milkshake, if you've got the time. I'll make Shinichi's contaminated motor oil."

"Of course, Bocchama," Jii set his cloth aside, moving towards the small freezer beneath the counter for ice-cream, ignoring Kudo-san's grumped "not _contaminated_" while Kaito went for the coffee machine.

"You don't dispute the 'motor oil'?" Kaito teased back.

"Keeps _me_ running," the detective stated blandly.

Jii hid a smile. Those two… he'd have worried when he found out about the sudden marriage, if they hadn't told him of a history they'd shared that he hadn't (yet) seen, but that kind of interaction would have put him at ease.

The willingness Kudo-san had to stand by Kaito against something as terrible and terrifying as the syndicate would have had Jii always welcoming him to the Parrot or into his own home, but this… Kudo-san was giving Kaito something Jii never had been able to, that his mother had lost her own ability to when Toichi had died.

Kudo-san was giving Kaito _family_ again.

_xxxx_

_*Azalea stands for temperance._

_xxxx_


	30. Chapter 29

_So, new chapter. Now, sleep. I am rather tired._

**_Chapter 29_**

Because despite a certain tendency to stumble on murder scenes, there were times things actually _did_ go Shinichi's way, not only did he and Kaito make it until school the next day without any unfortunate happenings, they managed to make it _through_ school the next day without any unfortunate happenings. And then until heist-time.

This had Shinichi looking over his shoulder every few seconds as he joined up with Nakamori inside Teitan High School's gymnasium, wondering what was going to go wrong _this_ time. He doubted it would involve death—or hoped it wouldn't, anyway, as Kid heists set up by Kid generally didn't, barring that one on a plane—but the unusual reprieve couldn't last forever.

Although it might last a bit longer, if they were lucky.

_xxxx_

'A bit longer' lasted most of the heist. No snipers in or on the gym or other buildings, but a sharp grunt from Kid as he stumbled in an _actual_ air-walk alerted Shinichi and the nearest Taskforce members that someone was shooting from _somewhere._

"Keibu! Someone's shooting at Kid!"

Shinichi snagged the radio, "Sniping," he corrected, "Angle… distance—the clock-tower three streets over would be the most likely sniper's setup." Not Snake. Snake wasn't that good. Chianti, maybe, she was good enough, but Korn was still in training at this point. They had given her solo assignments 'before'—both in actual 'before this date' and the 'last time around'—but it was rare that Org snipers didn't work in pairs. "From the distance… Likely professional. Professionals are known to work in groups at times, so be careful about possible backup or cover fire."

"We've lost sight of Kid!" cracked over the radio in Shinichi's hand, and he took a slow breath and handed it back to its owner.

He didn't have a direct method of contacting Kaito during heists yet—or, not a _normal_ one—and had hoped not to need one… but snipers and loss of visual contact while in _this_ wide open area meant he had to check.

He let the held breath out slowly, closing his eyes and _focusing._ This was not something he did often, for all of his talent with it if he knew the person he was looking for. It was very energy intensive, and if he was after more than a general location he could be in trouble if he didn't already have an idea where to 'look'.

His awareness spread out across the school-grounds, covering _everything_. He was suddenly aware of the location and general health of everyone within two kilometers—Chianti, there, at the tower with someone he had never met, both moving away with purpose—Taskforce and civilians, all only hazy grey in his mind's eye as '_not who I seek_'.

Kaito, a splash of white against the dimness, bruised and worried but in no real danger. Chianti and her current partner were leaving, but Shinichi shifted his focus towards them for an instant, checking to be sure they'd given up and weren't simply relocating.

No, leaving, intent painted in broad strokes of burgundy anger-disappointment across his mind.

Satisfied with the information, Shinichi pulled his awareness back to his body, opening his eyes to a crushing wave of exhaustion.

He staggered, throwing out a hand to the nearest wall to catch himself, and the Taskforce officer he'd swiped and subsequently returned the radio to caught his arm, "Kudo-san?"

Shinichi raised a hand to his head, grimacing as the headache set in, swift and vicious. "I'm all right," he assured the man—Sensui-san, if he remembered correctly. "Just a headache-spike." True, but misleading. He was getting disturbingly good at that.

"You came to a _Kid heist_ with a headache?" Sensui asked incredulously. "You're either braver than I thought or crazy."

"Kid heists don't usually come with a body count," Shinichi countered. "Considering I've had a quiet few days, that would have been an unlikely scenario anywhere else."

Sensui blinked, then winced in realization. "You're Division One's Shinigami, then?"

Shinichi frowned, "Did Megure start that? I'm _not_ a Shinigami—ah, _itai*,_" he grimaced again, head throbbing when he tried to turn and his knees buckled as his nervous system decided tracking more than just the headache was too much trouble.

"Whoa," Sensui tried to buoy him up, "Kudo-san, you don't seem all right to me."

"Head," Shinichi managed, gritting his teeth. 'Headache' was rapidly moving towards 'migraine-level', and add in the exhaustion from the location-sweep (which, of course, had caused the headache as well)… yeah, he wasn't going to be getting around on his own without a _really_ good reason to.

He could force past it. He had before. With the relative safety, however, he wasn't going to. "Sensui-san?" he murmured, waiting a beat to make sure the man supporting half his weight was looking at him. "I'm going to sit down, now."

"Wh—ah, right," Sensui eased him down, frowning in obvious concern. "Hang on a minute, Kudo-san," he added, pulling his radio back out, "Nakamori-keibu? I think Kudo-san needs an escort home. He isn't looking so good."

Cursing from the radio. Good old predictable Nakamori-keibu.

_xxxx_

When Kaito's phone blinked a 'missed call' the instant he turned it back on (back in civilian clothes and well away from Teitan) he frowned and hit the 'view now' option.

On seeing the missed call was Nakamori-keibu, he immediately called back, alarm coiling in his chest.

_"__Kaito?"_ the familiar gruffness was less reassuring than it would have been if it hadn't been a heist night where snipers had shown and Shinichi had been with the Taskforce.

"Hai," Kaito's voice came out calm and even, an instinctive application of 'Poker Face'.

_"__Thank Hotei. Kudo-san is suffering from a migraine, it seems. I've got him with me and am heading over to drop him off at the Kudo mansion. I think he'd be best off just getting some rest. Can you meet me there?"_

The tightness in his chest eased out. Of course—without any of their old communication devices and with Kaito dodging snipers, Shinichi would have checked. And, no matter how good he was at it, that was one mahou-stunt that had a _vicious_ backlash, despite not actively changing anything.

Linking one's brain into the electrical network of everything (plant, animal, person, or ambient electrons floating in the air) within a given distance wasn't exactly easy on the head. Shinichi was the only one Kaito had heard of being able to cover more than a hundred meters and remain able to understand the input. Probably had something to do with his crazy ability to piece together anything from close to nothing, case or otherwise.

"I—yeah, I'm about three blocks from there, actually," he redirected his steps, aiming to look like he'd come from the train station.

_"__What are you doing in Beika, Kaito?"_ Exasperation? Check.

"I got bored," Kaito shrugged despite the fact that Nakamori wasn't in range to see it. "I was going to text Shinichi when I got to the house and tell him to meet me there after the heist, but… did something happen?"

_"__Aside from Kudo-san's migraine? Snipers, but we didn't catch them. Aoko said you…"_ the police inspector trailed off. _"Nevermind that for now. We'll talk later."_

Kaito sighed, mostly for show. "Right. Okay. I'll meet you at the house and we can get Shinichi settled—can he still see?"

_"__See? What do you mean, '_see_'?"_

"His migraines can hit a point where he can't for a while. If that's happened, I'll set him up on the library couch—stairs will only make things worse."

A grumble from the other end of the line, tinny and quiet with distance from the mouthpiece. _"'M fine, Kai. Not as bad as it could be."_

Well. Talking was a good sign, so Shinichi was probably telling the truth. "Right. Okay. I'll meet you at the Black House."

Nakamori paused, _"'Black House'?"_

"You've never been to the Kudo mansion, have you?" Kaito asked rhetorically. "You'll understand when you see it."

_"__Right,"_ the dubious tone of voice was not lost on Kaito, but he only grinned, despite the fact that a phone couldn't transmit that.

"All right, I'm at the gate. Talk to you when you get here."

_xxxx_

"Huh," Nakamori blinked at the house behind the thick stone wall, seeing exactly what Kaito had meant by the 'Black' house. Sure, the building wasn't entirely black—but it gave off an impression of horror-story-style darkness.

"Blame Tou-san," Kudo murmured behind him, wryly amused despite the pain-lines around his eyes. "He _is_ the one who writes those Night Baron books, after all. You should see the movie props he has in his office."

Nakamori considered the one Night Baron movie he'd watched and shuddered. "No, thank you."

"Mm. Here comes Kaito," Kudo leaned back against the seat for a moment before unbuckling himself, wincing slightly at the metallic click. "He's such a mother hen."

The long-time neighbor of said magician paused, glancing at his passenger. "Kaito?"

"Mm."

"Huh." That was not something Nakamori would have expected of the hyperactive teen, but… Kaito was at the passenger door already, opening it and scanning Kudo's form with worried eyes.

Yeah, okay. Kudo had a point with the 'mother hen' thing, which Nakamori had to admit was surprising. He would have liked to think he knew Kaito well enough to have predicted that kind of thing… but then, he hadn't seen Kaito and Kudo together until the out-of-the-blue marriage, and the sheer number of police reports (some involving a certain teenage civilian consultant having been injured) with Kudo's name in them gave a pretty solid reason to mother.

Hell, after reading some of those files, _Nakamori_ wanted to mother the young meitantei. Why should he be surprised that the much more empathetic Kaito actually _did?_

"You going to come in, Nakamori-keibu?" Kaito asked, and Nakamori blinked.

Too distracted, to not have noticed Kaito gently herding Kudo out of the car and towards the house. "Not tonight, Kaito," he sighed, "I have to go fill out the usual paperwork and call in Division One forensics for the snipers… which you and I need to talk about. If Kudo-kun is feeling better, come by the precinct during my lunch hour."

Kaito grimaced, but nodded anyway. "Yeah. Okay."

Nakamori huffed to cover another sigh. "I'll see you tomorrow, then. Make sure Kudo-kun gets some rest."

_xxxx_

Kaito shook his head once he had Shinichi safely bundled into bed, despite halfhearted protests. "It's always something, huh?"

"Just a stress headache," Shinichi grumbled right back. "I'm _fine._"

"_Sleep_, you overworked idiot. The world's not going to implode if you close your eyes for a few hours."

"Mm. Fine. Set up the usual alarms?"

Kaito nodded, "Of course. I'll be up a bit longer anyway—I need to clean up that ostentatiously named statue and citrine so I can return it tomorrow. Do you need a painkiller?"

Shinichi closed his eyes, settling further into the pillow, "Just need some rest. It'll clear out by morning."

Kaito nodded, fingers tapping an absent acknowledgement on Shinichi's blanket. The post-'search' headaches usually did only take a single night's worth of downtime before they eased off, and Shinichi had apparently gotten off relatively lightly this time. "'Kay. I'll be back in to check on you later."

Shinichi hummed his own acknowledgement and Kaito shrugged, then headed to the basement. He may not have a workshop in Beika, but the Kudo mansion's underground section was nearly as good for keeping secrets.

_xxxx_

_*Itai is a general sound of pain, used in much the same way as the English 'ow.'_


	31. Chapter 30

_For anyone also following No Ghosts Need Apply, that one's up for update within the next couple days. Would have been earlier on both, but I've been down with a migraine most of this week and screens are not migraine-friendly._

**_Chapter 30_**

"Gah," Kaito blinked blearily up at Shinichi from his new position on the floor, taking in the near-maniac grin, and slowly realized he'd fallen asleep at the kitchen table. A glance around told him that it was early morning, the sky outside the window pink and grey. Somewhere between five and six, then, and apparently Shinichi was feeling better. "Who gave you expresso concentrate?" he grumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"You never came back last night," Shinichi scolded, too perky. 'Shinichi' and 'perky' were a rare and terrifying combination.

"At least you're feeling better," Kaito decided, taking the quickly offered hand and letting himself be pulled to his feet. "Sorry. And _ow_. I think my neck hates me for that."

Shinichi held out a microwaveable heating pad that doubled as a neck-pillow, "I kind of expected as much," he informed, grin toning down to a wry smile.

"You're _awesome,_" Kaito groaned as the heat began to sink into cramped muscles, easing the ache. "Agenda for the day?"

"I do believe that Nakamori-keibu asked to talk to you. You mentioned snipers to Nakamori-chan, I assume?"

"Oh," Kaito blinked, remembering his absent agreement only with the reminder. His attention had been mainly on Shinichi at that point, so… "Right. Okay. Hm…. Think we'll be able to get some Division One cover on rooftops not directly part of the heist?"

Shinichi half-shrugged, "Likely. That _is_ why you told Nakamori-chan, right?"

"Half-hoping, yeah," Kaito agreed. "I'll need to come up with a good story."

Shinichi huffed, mildly amused, "Tell him whatever you told Nakamori-chan, and add a reason for not telling him. It shouldn't be that difficult and your story has to stay straight."

Kaito grimaced, "Yeah, I know. And I told her the truth—as it was at the time, anyway. I _wasn't_ Kid when I found out."

Shinichi nodded once, "… but?"

"I don't know how much she told him, but I never really wanted him to get involved. I know this time, we have a better chance and we probably _can_ keep them fairly off the radar as far as those annoying drunks go, especially once your weird American followers show up, but it's hard to set aside that 'don't let him know' instinct."

Shinichi tipped his head, acknowledging that. "Still, he _is_ a police inspector. He'll start digging if you don't talk."

Kaito grimaced again, "Point." _Good_ point, at that, because Nakamori didn't know enough to be as careful as he _needed_ to be. He sighed, "Fine, fine, I'll call and set up a time."

_xxxx_

Nakamori sighed as he dropped his desk-phone into the cradle with somewhat less care than he could have, ignoring the clatter. He'd always been led to believe it was one's _own_ children who were supposed to agitate a parent to the point of grey hair, but raising Aoko wasn't particularly traumatic.

She occasionally terrified others with what Kaito had semi-affectionately dubbed her 'mop-fu', but aside from that and a temper she'd clearly inherited from him, she was a great kid.

Nope. It was _Kaito_ who was well on his way to turning Nakamori from somewhat greying to prematurely bald. And Kudo-kun (considering his_ much too convincing_ double-Kid act with Kaito) would probably end up helping.

Nakamori shook his head, muttered a curse under his breath, and went back to doing his paperwork.

_xxxx_

Two days later, Shinichi's phone rang with a familiar number flashing across the screen—one that he hadn't called in a while, and he winced at the realization and answered. "Hey, Ran."

Kaito perked up, head turning Shinichi's way from where he'd been absently running through card tricks to entertain himself in a non-disruptive manner.

_"__Shinichi? Are you busy?"_

"Not really," he said slowly, glancing down at the consultant/witness form that the police had hybridized just for him. He only had three more things to add before he could hand it over to Megure, and it wouldn't take more than five minutes, all told.

_"__Oh, good,"_ Ran sounded somewhat relieved, _"There's a high-school detective from Osaka here, saying something about 'confirming something with Kudo'. Apparently he couldn't track you down in Ekoda. I don't think it's really gotten out that you're married."_

"Huh," Shinichi considered. He hadn't really expected Hattori to show for a while, if at all. The last time, his trip had been prompted by Shinichi's 'disappearance'. "Hattori Heiji, then, son of the Osakan Chief of Police?"

_"__Hai, that's him. He's somewhat… _loud_."_

Shinichi hid a snort. That was a polite way of putting it—he loved his fellow detective like a brother, but he _was_ a bit intense and more than a bit rash. Eighteen years had barely managed to smooth the edges of Hattori's personality into something less abrasive. "Right. Well, I'll hand this in to Megure-keibu and we'll stop by. You're at home, right?"

_"__Right,"_ Ran confirmed. _"Are you in Beika, then?"_

"Yeah, filling out some paperwork for Megure-keibu. I'm pretty much finished, though, and Kaito has gone from card tricks to fire ones, so he's starting to make some of the officers nervous."

A laugh from the other end of the line, _"All right. See you soon, Shinichi."_

Shinichi closed his phone, wondering how long it would take for Hattori to notice something off with him and Kaito. The other detective had been both observant and weirdly open-minded, even as a teen—as evidenced by him deciding that Kudo Shinichi and Edogawa Conan were the same person, despite the obvious age difference.

Of all the people Shinichi knew, Hattori was the only one of the uninformed that would probably take it just fine straight off the bat. But Shinichi wasn't going to _tell_ him unless he asked. It was more fun to watch him guessing.

… Clearly Shinichi had been spending too much time with Kaito.

_xxxx_

Shinichi had obviously been spending too much time with his husband, Ran decided when he and Kaito-kun showed up at the Agency, both looking very much like Shinichi.

Knowing that Kaito-kun had pretended to be Shinichi at Teitan occasionally and briefly seeing them looking and acting like each other on they day she'd actually been introduced to Kuroba Kaito had been one thing.

Having them turn up at the door, both looking and acting so much like Shinichi that she wouldn't have been able to tell which was which if Shinichi hadn't tilted his head at his husband while said husband gave a conspiratorial wink in an aside to Ran was something else entirely.

She supposed her tone must have let Shinichi know she wasn't too impressed with the Osakan detective, but this was probably a bit… all right, so Hattori-san's expression _was_ pretty funny. Ran couldn't resist; "Ah, Hattori-san, these are Kudo Shinichi and Kudo Shinichi. There was a bit of an accident over at the Hakase's a little while ago."

"Hattori Heiji-san, son of Hattori Heizo, Osaka Chief of Police?" Shinichi and Kaito-kun asked in perfect unison, heads tilting at the exact same slight angle in a way that was downright _creepy,_ "Ran said you were looking for me?"

The Osakan spent several seconds staring, clearly taken aback.

Ran was silently grateful that her father had apparently decided to stay out of the conversation in favor of watching a horse-race, because if he said anything about Kaito-kun being a different person, it would ruin the moment.

"… Kudo? What did she mean, an '_accident?_'"

Fingers drummed restlessly against the outside of two thighs, the tempos slightly different, and the two shrugged, again in perfect unison. "Agasa-hakase is an inventor who dabbles in various physics and chemistry experiments. Strange things happen."

"… There's two of you." Hattori-san shook himself, reaching out to poke at each in turn.

Both bore it with the same expression of resigned patience, like this was a common reaction and they'd learned to just go with it. Ran tried very hard to keep a straight face.

"There's _two of you._"

She couldn't help it, the sound of horrified realization enough to crack her already crumbling composure. Ran laughed.

Kaito-kun suddenly pouted, no longer mistakable for a second Shinichi. "Ran-chan! You _ruined_ it!"

Hattori gaped at them, "'kay, what the _heck_ is this?"

_xxxx_

_Okay, in answer to a question posed several times and by several people: Hattori just showed (obvious, I know) and Haibara won't for a while yet. Miyano Akemi was infiltrating the bank for months before the robbery in order to get enough trust to have the access she needed, or at least that is implied. As Hattori showed up at episode 48 in the anime (I am going off the anime, if anyone has been wondering) and Haibara doesn't show up until after her sister dies (which is 128), the whole thing will be a waiting game for a while on the Miyano sisters' parts._


	32. Chapter 31

_Update! Also, smoke's bad around here. Too many fires. It's been a very hard week by virtue of sheer lack of clean air._

**_Chapter 31_**

Hattori Heiji was a brash, loud, prideful person. He knew this. He was a _detective,_ and a damn good one according to the cases he'd solved. The fact that he was constantly compared to someone his own age from Tokyo, someone who was apparently so amazing that he was referred to as both 'Heisei Holmes' and 'Savior of the Police' was a bit… irritating. The media had begun saying that the East had Kudo Shinichi and the West had Hattori Heiji, but Heiji was always the implied lesser of the two.

If this Kudo really _was_ better than he was, fine. Heiji didn't mind truth and as much as he loved a good competition, he wasn't the sort of prideful that was bitter about a fair loss.

If Kudo _wasn't_ better than he was, he wanted to know that, too. If nothing else, Kudo was a rival—one who'd gone pretty media-quiet in the last few months. Oh, his name still cropped up on police reports (including one where he'd ended up _drenched_ by the blood of a man who got beheaded on a roller-coaster while Kudo was walking beneath it with a couple friends. Clearly the guy only had luck of the bad kind), but he hadn't allowed interviews and had slipped mainly off the news grid.

What had happened to cause that? He'd seemed to like the attention. Of course, sometimes Heiji _seemed_ to like the attention, too, but mostly it was just annoying. But then, Heiji wasn't very patient and was nowhere near as charismatic as Kudo had proven to be. Either way, though, the drop out of the direct line-of-sight of the public eye was concerning.

Heiji never could resist a mystery, so he'd headed to Tokyo with the intent of talking to his eastern rival.

The Kudo mansion (and, _damn,_ that place was creepy, at least from the outside) was empty, showing signs of only occasional occupation. Where was Kudo?

Well. Heiji knew where to find his girl, at least. Mouri Ran was Mouri Kogoro's daughter, and while her father wasn't any good, he _was_ a detective with a registered agency.

Easy enough, right?

_x_

Maybe not, Heiji reflected in annoyance when Mouri-han told him in no uncertain terms that if he meant trouble to her best friend (specific choice of words, that) she would ensure that he regretted it _deeply_ while rather pointedly putting a fist-shaped dent in the side of Mouri-'tantei's' desk. His _steel_ desk. Considering the angle, that should have been close to impossible.

Apparently the girl could back up her words. Either way, though, he managed to convince her he just wanted to talk and she went upstairs to get her phone to call Kudo after informing him Kudo mainly lived in Ekoda these days.

Not too long after, Kudo showed up at the door.

… _Duplicate_ Kudo.

Heiji had never met the guy, but the two reflected each other so well he hadn't been able to spot any differences in them, and it had been so _surreal_ that he'd been completely taken in by Mouri-han's 'accident' story that was loosely backed by twin Kudos.

Then Mouri-han cracked up and one of the Kudos had suddenly transformed from a seriously formal Kudo to a lookalike with the personality flipped.

Mouri-han turned her attention to him while Crazy Kudo pouted and Formal Kudo rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry, Hattori-san," she managed between giggles, "Shinichi must have realized I was a bit on edge and decided to cheer me up. This is Kuroba Kaito, Shinichi's husband."

Heiji blinked, thrown. "Kudo's _married?_"

Kudo raised an eyebrow at him while the one that was apparently Kuroba ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it into a haphazardly spiked mess. "It's a matter of public record, Hattori-san," Kuroba sounded a bit amused. "Didn't you do any research before coming here?"

"Yeah, but all I got was that Kudo's solved a lot of cases and can't sing to save his life."

"The entirety of Ekoda High knows Kaito and I are married," Kudo informed, sounding a little bemused. "We're in the same class, after all. I thought it would at least have been mentioned by the media _somewhere._"

Kuroba coughed lightly, "Ah, I _may_ have discouraged outside-of-school gossip by saying I'd pay some extra attention to the first person to go to the media."

Kudo dropped his face into one hand in a picture of exasperation, "Kaito…"

"What? I _know_ you hate the attention, and 'Heisei Holmes, Married!?' being a headline seemed like something you'd find annoying."

"It's not like I _care_ if anyone knows," Kudo raised his head to give his apparent husband a 'you ahou*' look. "I mean, sure, the lack of private life can be annoying, but I'm not ashamed of you. My mother, yes; you, no."

Heiji was really starting to feel like he was just some kind of background ornament, the way they were talking around him. Also, ashamed of his mother but not his husband? The heck was that about?

"I just think your mother's scary," Kuroba informed Kudo matter-of-factly before seeming to remember Heiji was in the room. "Ah, right, sorry, Hattori-san. You came here for a reason, I'm sure."

"… I just wanted to figure out why Kudo had dropped out of the news, but now I'm not so sure I really want to know," Heiji admitted, silently wondering how one teenage boy had managed to cow an entire high-school into silence over what _should_ have been the Tokyo Gossip of the Year, considering how ridiculously famous Kudo was as a detective.

Kudo coughed once, "I'm tired of the attention. When I was twelve, it was cool. When I was thirteen, it was wearing and occasionally tragic. By the time I was fifteen, I was putting on a public 'arrogant bastard' act that cut back on the stalking and fan-rival violence quite a bit. Now? I'm sick of the entire thing and what with Kaa-san setting me up with Kaito… it seemed easier to just move to Ekoda where I'm not _quite_ as well-known. The fact that Kaito is an abject prankster and even if he's not giving someone individual attention, recolored hair and clothes happens to everyone in the school at least once a week… I can see how his threat would be effective. Personal attention from Kaito would mean blatant and lasting humiliation, likely starting at the least expected of times."

Heiji wasn't quite sure what to think about that, but at least Kuroba wasn't sporting violent tendencies. Still, this whole 'meeting Kudo' thing wasn't turning out the way he'd expected it too. Came to it, his desire for some kind of detective's competition had almost entirely morphed into a sort of weirded-out fascination.

Kudo and Kuroba had something just a little _off_ about them, but not the way criminals tended to feel a bit off. More… like there was something that held them a little apart from the rest of the world, something that separated them from the here and now.

This was one mystery Heiji was determined to solve, for all that he had no idea what he was even looking for.

_xxxx_

Shinichi was somewhat amused by the situation as a whole, Hattori's obvious (to him, anyway) confusion and growing intrigue a familiar sight.

Then a woman walked into the Agency, scowling irritably—a _familiar_ woman with a familiar (made-up) reason for arrival.

Shinichi snapped up his version of Poker Face the instant recognition hit, fingers twitching an involuntary '_Really?'_

A quick, light tapping behind him and he responded with another flick of fingers. _'Repeat.'_

Maybe this time he could prevent a murder.

_xxxx_

_*Ahou is a form of 'fool' or 'idiot', not unlike 'baka' or derivatives thereof. It's the one Heiji and Kazuha use and since the point of view used in that section is Heiji's, that's the word I chose._


	33. Chapter 32

.

**_Chapter 32_**

Tsujimura Kimie was not Shinichi's favorite person ever. Sure, she wasn't a bad person _per say_, but he knew she had already planned out the murder of her husband in a remarkably efficient manner that would implicate her father-in-law as the culprit without much difficulty. Undoubtedly, she'd gone to Mouri Kogoro with her (fabricated) suspicions on Kutsuragi Yukiko (her stepson's fiancé as well as her own daughter) because Mouri wasn't known for his competence but _was_ a detective. Surely he'd take her 'suspicions' on the too-perfect prospective daughter-in-law (as she wasn't supposed to know of her own relation to the girl) at face value and investigate only to turn up nothing—if the distraction of her diplomat husband having been murdered in a 'locked' room didn't render the case unimportant.

The reason for bringing Mouri back to her husband's estate was to cover a murder with the sheer audacity of doing it _in front of a detective._ Not that Shinichi was planning on _letting_ her do it, this time.

The man had crimes of his own to atone for, and Shinichi intended to see him live to do so. And see him exposed as the less-than-upstanding citizen he was. Though the fact that he and Hattori had both been in the Mouri Detective Agency when the woman had shown up was… he wasn't sure, actually. He'd never really bothered to find out why Hattori had chosen that day as his initial 'find Kudo' quest date—there could be a simple reason behind it, such as school scheduling or working around kendo tournament dates.

Kaito would be the only one who hadn't been there 'before'. Also, Kaito was going to provide backup for Shinichi, as the Heisei Holmes was fully intending to brief the magician in the car and there was no way Kaito would let the woman kill in front of him.

They would have to be careful of that needle, though. The paralytic the woman had used the first time around had been powerful enough to kill Tsujimura Isao almost instantly, stopping his lungs so quickly that his lips had begun to purple less than thirty seconds after he'd been poisoned. It was only partly due to the site of the needle-wound, right above the man's jugular vein, where it would reach the heart very quickly.

Of course, now that Shinichi knew the circumstances surrounding the poisoning, it was possible he could be saved even if he _was_ poisoned again. Well, not _again_-again, but—Kaito was right, tenses were a nightmare. Even so, the fact that the man had died due to asphyxiation from paralysis and not the poison itself meant that it was theoretically possible that he could have been saved.

Hindsight was 20-20, as the Americans said. However, _this_ hindsight had just been flipped around to _foresight._

Shinichi started tapping on Kaito's forearm the instant the vehicle started moving, explaining what had—and hadn't _yet_—happened.

_xxxx_

Things went well—or as well as could be expected—for the first two minutes after walking in the front door. The butler (Koike Fumio-san) greeted them with his squinty-eyed smile and the statement that the master of the house had not yet left the study. That was as expected, but Shinichi had learned his lesson about expectations and kept alert.

Kutsuragi Yukiko's polite and largely unassuming greeting and subsequent innocent question of, "Are they friends of yours, Okaa-sama*?" upon seeing the (admittedly large) group of intruding presences was met with hostility that the girl obviously hadn't expected.

She drew back a bit as Kimie-san scowled at her, "That's none of your concern, and I never gave you permission to call me 'mother'! What are you doing here, anyway?"

The boy stepping up beside the girl laid a reassuring hand on Kutsuragi-san's shoulder, but addressed his stepmother with a wary politeness. "Father has been refusing to meet Yukiko, so I brought her here so he would have to."

It took a moment for Shinichi to catch his own thoughts. 'Boy' and 'girl' indeed. Now, they were older than he was, at least physically. He would have to be careful not to say things like that out loud. He largely ignored the rest of the short conversation in favor of keeping an eye out for any unexpected trouble.

Kimie-san seemed more tense than she had the 'first' time, covering it with a display of greater temper than she had shown the last time around, if only slightly.

She must have recognized Kudo Shinichi the way she hadn't recognized Edogawa Conan or even Mouri Kogoro—Shinichi hadn't been Conan long by that point and Kogoro hadn't become well known outside of Beika district until later. If his presence made her uneasy, it might be a problem.

Three minutes after that, Shinichi scratched the 'might' from that thought and jerked in alarm as Kaito snagged the half-open key-holder from Kimie-san's hand with a "That opens? Cool!"

The woman jerked her hand, not having let up on her own grip on the key holder, and Shinichi saw a glint of light and Kaito cursed, jerking his hand back.

The woman froze, paling, and an embroidery needle fell to the carpet.

"Ran, go call an ambulance and the police! Hattori, find that needle, but don't touch it! It's poisoned!" Shinichi himself was already moving, catching Kaito as his knees buckled, "Where?"

"Right index," Kaito managed, already struggling for air, and Shinichi ignored the stunned woman backing up to the bookshelf and sliding to the floor, instead looking for the tiny wound and pressing up the length of the indicated finger to make it bleed, using his thumb-nail to scrape away excess poison before wiping it onto his handkerchief. The less that ended up in Kaito's bloodstream, the better.

"Paralytic," Shinichi stated, mostly to himself. "Hand—we've got a few minutes before things get dicey. Kaito, stop trying to move; you'll make it spread faster. Breathe slowly."

Ran was already out of the room and Hattori moved in the corner of Shinichi's vision, clearly starting to do as he was told. Tsujimura Isao was still sleeping at his desk, oblivious to the commotion under the effects of whatever drug his wife had given him.

Shinichi didn't care. It was only the need to keep Kaito alive that had him forcing calm.

Three minutes later, Ran was in the doorway, "The ambulance is on its way. Shinichi, what—Kaito-kun!"

"Stay there, Ran," Shinichi ordered. "Hattori, the needle?"

"I'm looking! It's—there, I see it!" the Osakan may never have met Shinichi before, but he'd always been willing to listen to reasonable orders under dangerous circumstances.

"Good. Put something over it that will be easy to see. A needle like that could go right through slippers and socks and bare feet* would be even worse. If you don't have handcuffs, take mine and restrain Kimie-san. We'll worry about 'why' later."

Kaito was going slack in his arms, breath shallowing, and Shinichi shifted his careful hold until he could curl a hand around the back of Kaito's neck and set a finger over his pulse-point at the same time, frowning at the too slow movement.

"Kaito, stay awake," he ordered, "You hear me? _Stay awake._"

A slow blink was the only reply, Kaito clearly _trying,_ and Shinichi's heart was lead-heavy and racing all at once, the coil of desperation in his gut compounded by a barely suppressed panic that had his thoughts flitting like startled fireflies in all directions at once.

Two more minutes, and Shinichi could hear sirens, distant but nearing—and Kaito stopped breathing.

Shinichi cursed, laying Kaito down and tilting his head back to open his airways, checking for a pulse—there, but barely—and starting to breathe for him. Another minute, and Shinichi could no longer feel a pulse beneath his fingers. Hattori and Ran's voices were distant, unimportant. He didn't spare the focus to even understand the words.

Forty seconds of full CPR later, there were paramedics in the doorway, moving to take over—and it took Shinichi's panicked mind a moment to remember what he had to tell them when he was moved aside.

"Paralytic—he needs life support until it works out of his system," Shinichi managed, forcing himself to steady. Kaito still needed him; he couldn't collapse yet. Ignoring all else, he followed when Kaito was moved to a stretcher and rushed to the ambulance, getting in without acknowledging the attempt to question him.

A glance out the doors let him see Ran, white-faced and worried. "Tell Megure-keibu to contact me," he managed around his own terror.

"Sir-"

"He's my _husband,_" Shinichi realized his hands were shaking, but couldn't bring himself to care.

The attempt to remove him stopped there, and seconds later the ambulance was in motion.

"Sir?" one of the paramedics not forcing Kaito's heart to work asked, "You said it was a paralytic?"

"I don't know which," Shinichi answered mechanically. "I recognize the symptoms. I've seen them before. It—I wasn't there fast enough to make a difference, but the coroner said that one would have lived if he'd been put on life support for a week."

He _had_ said that, and Shinichi could only pray he was right.

"All right, thank you. That gives us something to work off of. Names, sir?"

"He's Kuroba Kaito," Shinichi stated, feeling like he'd been shifted a few centimeters out of alignment with the world. Everything was distant, unreal. "I'm Kudo Shinichi."

That paramedic moved closer, and it took Shinichi a moment to tear his gaze from Kaito, a new paramedic taking over acting as his heart. A brief glance told him all he cared to know about the woman, 'Mizuhana Tsuki', early thirties, kind. Trying to engage him, and he knew the signs of shock in himself but he didn't really care because Kaito wasn't breathing, his heart wasn't beating, and that made him _dead_.

Kaito had claimed Tykhe as his patron and Nemesis as Shinichi's, and Shinichi had claimed Maat as his own, and he prayed to all three that they would give Kaito _back._

He couldn't face this alone.

_xxxx_

_*Okaa-sama is a more formal way of saying 'mother', but it can be used for respected older-than-oneself females that someone knows very well or is in some way related to, though not necessarily by blood, so 'mother' isn't an exact translation. Used mainly with prospective in-laws or very close older family friends._

_*Slippers—as those who have paid attention when watching/reading any Japan-based anime/manga/books/movies/etc. it is considered very rude to wear shoes into someone's home. Slippers are usually kept near entrances and guest slippers are often provided. Occasionally someone will go barefoot, though socks are more common indoors than bare feet._

_xxxx_


	34. Chapter 33

_Okay, do not expect the next chapter to appear quite as quickly as this one has. Also, for the record: I've been going back through the entirety of this story in the interests of correcting minor errors, which means a lot of my older beginning-of-chapter ANs have and/or will disappear, but the exchange is fixed in-chapter typos, spelling, wording, etc._

**_Chapter 33_**

Heiji hadn't stopped to think when Kudo had started snapping orders, the first one to Mouri-chan telling him that whatever Kudo'd seen, it was _dangerous._ The word 'poison' was alarming, but how Kudo had known was beyond Heiji.

An instant later, Kudo's husband (and _that_ was still kinda freaky) dropped like a felled tree and Kudo'd barely managed to catch him, which let him know Kudo was right in wanting that needle found.

He hadn't seen it, but he _had_ seen Kuroba yank his hand back, so he'd known it had to have fallen relatively near where Kuroba had intercepted the politician's wife. It wouldn't have rolled on carpet, but it could have landed either point-down or point-_up_, either of which would make it harder to spot and the latter of which made it a lot more dangerous.

He'd tried not to pay attention to how Kuroba's breath came in shallow gasps and how panicked Kudo looked while somehow managing to keep his voice steady, because he'd been supposed to be finding the weapon that had caused it before someone else fell victim.

When he'd finally managed to spot the thing, it was only after Mouri-chan got back with news that the ambulance was on it way, and Kudo's sharp order for the girl to stay out of the room had her halting shakily in the doorway. Heiji's first instinct had been to move the needle to somewhere it was less likely to be stepped on, but Kudo's command to put something visible over it had made sense, as had the following order to cuff the woman who'd had the thing hidden in her _keychain._

… then Kudo was cursing and breathing _for_ Kuroba, and Heiji's own breath had frozen in his chest. That had been—murder scenes were one thing, where someone was dead and he could find who'd killed the person. Watching someone _dying_ was something else entirely.

Watching someone a lot like himself refusing to fall apart even while he looked like his world was breaking around him as he tried to keep someone he so obviously cared about alive…

Heiji had, for the first time in his memory, felt utterly _helpless._

He'd explained what little he knew to the police, one Megure-keibu looking grave and worried by the end of it.

"I hope Kuroba-kun pulls through this," the police inspector had murmured, more to himself than Heiji. "I don't know how Kudo-kun will manage if he doesn't."

Heiji sighed and leaned back against the uncomfortable plastic of a hospital waiting-room chair, trying to simultaneously set aside the dread settling in his bones (not aided by remembering how worried everyone who knew Kudo had been) and make sense of the… _whatever_ that had gone down at the diplomat's mansion.

He glanced sideways at the youngish police officer seated next to him. Takagi, he'd been introduced as, had volunteered to wait at the hospital—clearly, Division One was pretty familiar with Kudo and Kuroba, to so readily show worry.

Still, something about how that all had gone down _bugged_ Heiji. It was like—like Kudo and Kuroba had _known_ that woman had been planning to kill her husband. She'd confessed everything to the police officers, saying she hadn't meant to kill Kuroba and even explaining _why_ she'd intended to kill her husband.

Operative word being 'kill'. She thought Kuroba was dead, or definitely going to die. Heiji wasn't sure, but… They hadn't been told anything, and Kudo wasn't in the waiting room.

It didn't seem like a good sign.

Frustrated, Heiji tried to stop thinking about it. He couldn't separate the case (as it were, since the confession pretty much rendered the legal part moot) from the wrongness and worry. He should give it a bit, wait until they had news on Kuroba and possibly Kudo, depending on exactly how badly off the other detective was.

He'd looked like he was going into shock, after all.

_Gah._ Heiji rubbed both hands over his face and stood up, "I'mma grab some coffee, Takagi-han. Want some?"

Having to resort to distracting himself was nearly unheard of_._ How invested he felt in the whole mess was just plain _weird._

_xxxx_

Ran sighed, closing her phone in resignation and dropping into the unoccupied chair at the nearest police desk (Takagi-keiji's from the nameplate), wanting to go to the hospital to check on Shinichi and Kaito-kun, but they still hadn't managed to contact Shinichi's parents or Kaito-kun's mother. She'd taken over trying to call the elder Kudos, and had been calling intermittently for what felt like forever, but had really only been a little over an hour.

Her father was being somewhat less than his usual useless self, meaning that he wasn't being particularly helpful, but he wasn't getting in the way or saying rude things, either. If the Kudos would just _answer…_

Ran blinked back frustrated tears, trying to beat down the choking worry. She'd never seen Shinichi so shaken, and Kaito-kun…

If Kaito-kun died (had he already?), Ran didn't know what Shinichi would do. There was something about how Shinichi interacted with Kaito-kun that said Kaito-kun was the core of his world. If Shinichi suddenly _lost_ that…

He'd been slowly growing more distant for months, in some ways even _before_ the out-of-the-blue marriage. It had been mostly just bravado and grandstanding, but… then Shinichi had introduced her to Kaito-kun, and all the annoying showmanship that he had even been holding around _her_ had just… disappeared.

He'd been different at Tropical Land, true, but even with the unexpected quiet and worrying hesitations before he responded to her, Kaito-kun had been able to make him smile the way he had years ago, before all the cases started to wash the innocence from his eyes, when he was actually _happy._

If Shinichi lost Kaito-kun…

Ran didn't think he'd ever smile again. She didn't know if Shinichi was _in love_ with his husband or just loved him, but ultimately, she doubted it mattered. It had become obvious that Kaito-kun was the person Shinichi cared about the most, and… that realization hadn't hurt like she'd expected it to.

If anything, it made her smile to see them together, to see her deductive-geek best friend have someone so clearly both equal and balancing shoved on him as a marriage partner. Maybe they were in love, maybe they weren't; but either way, Shinichi was clearly able to rely on Kaito-kun in ways that she would never have been able to give herself. They _matched._

What would happen if that was taken away?

Ran closed her eyes, fingers curling around her phone. "Please be all right, Kaito-kun. For Shinichi's sake."

_xxxx_

"Is anyone here for Kuroba-san and Kudo-san?"

Takagi jolted to his feet, "I'm Takagi Wataru, a police detective," a quickly glance showed him that Hattori-san was crossing the waiting room quickly, two of the vending-machine hot cans in hand. "That's Hattori Heiji, who was there when… anyway, is Kuroba-san going to be all right?"

The doctor frowned, glancing down at his clipboard as though checking something before sighing, "Are you with Division One, Takagi-keiji?"

"Hai; Megure-keibu is trying to contact their relatives. I believe the Kudos are in Italy and something was said about Kuroba-san being in France…"

"Well, all right," the doctor motioned for Takagi to follow, "It says here I can talk to Division One officers and several others—Hattori-san listed here as well," he added as Hattori caught up. "This way. In answer to your question, Takagi-keiji, we don't know. Going from what Kudo-san told us, Kuroba-san was hit with some kind of paralytic. He's on full life-support right now—Kudo-san said he'd seen something similar before and that he'd been told that the victim might have lived if he'd been placed on life support until the toxin worked out of his system. I hope he's right."

"Ya don' know?" Hattori asked, not—quite—demanding.

"At this point, no, we don't. Kuroba-san is hooked up to an EEG, which does indicate brain activity, so he's not dead, but… well, until we manage to identify the toxin in question, we don't know what recovery will look like."

"What about Kudo-san?" Takagi asked. "He wasn't in the waiting room, so…"

The doctor paused, "No, he was admitted as well. Kudo-san was on the edge of collapse when he and Kuroba-kun arrived—we ended up sedating him; his heart-rate was dangerously high, especially considering how ill he was not so long ago according to the records Ekoda General sent over. Despite the sedation; he has remained conscious, though he's been largely unresponsive when spoken to. He and Kuroba-san have been assigned the same room on the recommendation of Yosuke-sensei at Ekoda General and we have been informed that until Kuroba-san recovers, Kudo-san likely won't be going anywhere."

"Oh?" Hattori cast a questioning look at the doctor and Takagi could sort of understand the confusion. The Osakan hadn't been around those two much, yet.

"From what I was told, the reverse was certainly true," The doctor (whose nametag proclaimed 'Yamanaka Sensui') half-shrugged, "Kuroba-san wasn't even admitted at Ekoda and they said they had to bring in a bed for him. He apparently stayed with Kudo-san the full five days Kudo-san was a patient. I don't know the exact circumstances, but it sounded as though I should expect Kudo-san to stay even after he isn't in need of hospital treatment, so long as Kuroba-san _is_."

"Hold up," Hattori raised a hand and Takagi paused to look at him.

"Hattori-san?"

"Ya guys don' know what kinda poison it is, right? Takagi-han, can ya get someone to ask tha' lady? She's the one who got it, after all."

Takagi felt like smacking himself in the face. "Right. Hattori-san, if you could get enough for a report, I'm going to go call Megure-keibu."

"You have access to the person who obtained the toxin?" the doctor locked on to that little bit of information, "Please, if it's something that we can find an antidote to, it would greatly increase Kuroba-kun's chances of recovery."

"Right," Takagi nodded before turning and jogging back down the hall, out towards the area where cell-phone use was allowed. He should have thought of it _sooner!_

_xxxx_

Shinichi blinked slowly, an oddly familiar voice cutting through the haze in his mind. It sounded like… Hattori, when he'd been a teenager. What… but then, that was it, wasn't it? Hattori _was_ young. Shinichi was staring at Kaito on a hospital bed (_everything_ was _wrong_), but Kaito was young, now, and so was Shinichi.

It had been months. He should have remembered right away. But it was so hard to _think_…

"Oi, Kudo, ya in there? I know they said they drugged ya up pretty hard, but…"

Drugged? Sedative, then, and that was why everything was blurring and all he could hold onto was terror and _Kaito_.

"Kudo?"

Hattori. He should answer, but…

Sound, motion into his line-of-sight— "Hat… tori?"

"Damn, Kudo, you're really out of it. Do ya even _have_ irises or is yer entire eye a pupil?"

Somehow it didn't seem like that sentence made sense. Shinichi blinked, shaking his head slightly. "Hattori, what?"

"Right, I'll check in with ya tomorrow. Ya need to sleep off whatever they gave ya."

Right. He'd been panicked and going into shock, because Kaito… but the machines were working and the EEG a bit to the side showed patterns that looked like they belonged to a sleeping person, not a coma patient and certainly not a dead man. Kaito was still with him.

It had been close. Too close.

But Kaito hadn't quit on him yet. He'd recover. He _had_ to.

"Get some rest, Kudo. Kuroba'll be all right."

Hattori. And… if there was one thing he'd regretted when he and Kaito had run… "Hattori… gomen ne." For so much.

_xxxx_

Heiji closed the door behind him and stood there, hand still on the doorknob, for several long seconds. He didn't know what Kudo was sorry for, and as drugged as the other teen was, he wasn't likely to make any sense if Heiji bothered to ask, but one thing was certain: Kudo _had_ known who he was talking to when he'd said 'sorry'.

Even drugged close to incoherence, he'd recognized Heiji—and that was… that was just _weird._ He'd only met Kudo that afternoon, barely three hours ago, and drugged as he was, Kudo shouldn't have been able to recognize anyone he didn't know pretty well.

Damn it, but his prospective rival shouldn't be more of a mystery than any case Heiji had come across!

_xxxx_


	35. Chapter 34

_Sorry about the longer-than-usual wait between writing updates of some kind. Been a bit busier than I expected after having bee roped into heading a elementary school bake sale by a surrogate mother-figure type friend. Do I have children? No._

_She, however, has grand - er, I said grandchildren, but that's incorrect. Her grand-niece goes to school there, or the younger one does. and loves my baking._ _This apparently meant I had to get seriously involved. Ah, well, she's awesome, and despite the fact that elementary schoolers are vicious little wild people when they run in sugared packs, it was kind of fun._

**_Chapter 34_**

Kudo Yuusaku was not exactly the most pleased person leaving the convention, though it was hard to tell from his expression, casually pleasant as it was. Still, as one of the guest speakers, he (and his wife) had been forced to sit in the short line of chairs lining the back of the stage, facing the audience. This, naturally, meant he and Yukiko had also been asked to turn off their phones, and with Annoying Editor #1 dogging his footsteps as he tried to get out to the parking lot without further interruptions, he hadn't had the chance to turn it back on.

Yukiko was having too much fun laughing at him to bother with hers, and Yuusaku managed to cast her an annoyed look when he finally got the breathing room to switch his phone back on. He _hated_ dealing with his editors, and Yukiko knew it. If there was so much as a single missed call listed, he was going to take it as an excuse to ditch the man before he even caught up.

… There were fourteen. One from Beika Division One's landline, and the rest from Mouri Ran.

Yuusaku halted, eyes cataloguing the list. The first, an hour and eighteen minutes before, had been the precinct. Roughly every five minutes after that, Ran's number showed up. Dread coiled in Yuusaku's chest, because there were no messages and there was only one reason he could think of that neither Megure nor Ran would leave a message while clearly trying so hard to connect.

"Yuu-chan? What is it? Yuusaku?"

He blinked slowly and hit 'send' twice, auto-dialing the last number to have called him. He barely noticed his wife grab his arm or the editor call his name. He couldn't speak, not without his voice shaking, but he was going to _have_ to—Ran picked up halfway through the first ring, voice thick and shaky.

"Kudo-san?"

"Ran," Yuusaku barely kept from cracking the short name in half, his own voice wavered so badly.

"There was—it's Kaito-kun; we went to see the Tsujimuras and the wife had planned to kill her husband but Kaito got poisoned instead and-and—" Ran's voice broke, then, and suddenly she was crying. "Shinichi was so scared, and Kaito-kun, he—we don't _know,_ and they sedated Shinichi because his heart rate was just _too high_, and…"

"Ran," Yuusaku managed to keep his voice more even the second try, but only because Shinichi was confirmed alive. Kaito—from what she'd said, unstable and critical, and if he _died_… "We're coming. We'll be there within ten hours even if I have to hire a private jet. Just… keep us updated."

"Hai," Ran sniffled on the other end of the line, "Hai. I can do that. Shinichi's incoherent, but he won't rest even though they sedated him and Kaito-kun—the EEG says he's just unconscious, but he's on full life support because his heart stopped and the poison won't let it _start_ again…"

Yuusaku swallowed, the images in his head making him feel physically ill. "Ran, I need to make flight arrangements. Call me if anything changes."

"Right," another sniffle and a shuddering breath, "Okay. I'm still at the precinct, but Hattori-san and Takagi-keiji have been keeping us updated and Megure-keibu will take us to the hospital after we get a hold of Kuroba-san."

"… I'll see if Yukiko would be willing," Yuusaku said after a moment. "If not, I'll call her. Chikage-chan… It's best she hears it from people she knows."

A weak thanks preceded the line clicking off and Yuusaku lowered his phone only to have his wife catch his arms in a panic. "Yuusaku, what is it?"

The writer distantly noticed Annoying Editor #1 had fallen silent and actually looked a bit concerned. "The boys," he managed to tell Yukiko. "Kaito was poisoned and Shinichi… is not taking it well."

Yukiko paled, "Kai-chan is…?"

"Alive," Yuusaku realized he hadn't specified and felt a brief flicker of guilt for adding to his wife's fear. "But he's on full life support and they don't know if he'll make it. Shinichi panicked in that way he does, where it doesn't really look like it but his heart rate just keeps _climbing._"

And the writer had long hoped that his son would grow out of that, because it was dangerous for all that no one would have thought it just looking at him—until he'd collapsed as a small child, heart having sped up until it had… shorted, almost, had stuttered—and stopped. Briefly, then, and had re-started on its own even before Yuusaku could act, but that it had happened _once_…

Shinichi had grown very difficult to frighten as time went on, but… well, it sounded like he _hadn't_ grown out of it, after all.

Yukiko grimaced, of the same opinion regarding the terror-reaction to that knowledge. "I'll call Chikage-chan," she agreed. "I think I know which hotel she was going to be at, so I can try their land-line if she hasn't been answering her cell."

Yuusaku nodded, pausing at the desk to ask for a phone book to call the airport. They were getting the first flight they could make back to Japan.

_xxxx_

Shinichi hazed in and out of awareness several times, the light through the window changing angles each time and the lucidity growing and lasting longer each time. He hadn't _slept_, but his awareness of the world had felt like there was something between him and it, a heavy curtain-like smoke that wasn't visible but was there all the same.

This time, though, the awareness was triggered by a change that wasn't a nurse or concerned friend or police officer.

The EEG's tiny, soft tones—which had been fairly consistent, probably adjusted to follow brain activity the same way the line across the screen did—shifted. Not _louder,_ but sharper, pitch rising a little, then spiking quickly.

Awake, of course, Kaito was awake and Shinichi _forced_ himself to think past the drugs still in his system. He already knew Kaito hadn't moved, hadn't opened his eyes, his heart and lungs still working to the life-support system and not on his own.

"Kaito," he said, firm and careful. No slurring, that would worry the magician and with him unable to _react…_

The squiggling line evened out a bit at Shinichi's voice so he kept talking. "It's the poison. You're on life support; the paralytic stopped most of the nerve transmissions from your brain to your body. It'll get better, but for now you're not going to be able to do anything."

A spike on the screen and tone managed to seem frustrated, and Shinichi wasn't sure what Kaito was trying to do or say, but…

A quick, _familiar_ pattern to the spikes, exactly like—"Kaito, were you trying to tap on something? If so, do it again."

Another, confirming pattern, the rest of the monitoring line no longer spiking so wildly.

Of course—the signals weren't leaving his brain, but the EEG monitored direct brain activity, not whether the activity traveled where it was supposed to. Trying to move fingers in a pattern would make a pattern on the EEG.

Kaito was a genius. "Thank the gods. How are you feeling? Physically, that is, I need to know what to tell the doctor."

Kaito's response to that was '_Tingly_', followed by a freaked-out complaint at the _complete_ lack of mobility.

"Huh. You mean like a foot that's fallen asleep?"

Another confirmation, and Shinichi reached over to hit the call, missing the first time as his hand shook so badly it threw off his aim. He cursed softly and tried again, and suddenly Kaito's EEG was a flurry of spikes.

"Slow _down,_ Kaito," Shinichi sighed, "They sedated me to try and get me to sleep. Motor control's off, but it's better than earlier."

The spiking evened (as much as EEGs on a non-brain-dead person ever did) then a quick pattern asked a question.

"Your heart stopped, Kaito," Shinichi stated in reply, strained. "You _died._ I couldn't—_gods_, Kaito, I was so _scared._"

More jagged lines, but not a clear pattern. Thinking, then, not trying to communicate directly, and the door opening caught Shinichi's attention. "Doctor's here, Kaito. Anything else you need me to tell him?"

The look of absolute bafflement said doctor shot him at the question was only exceeded in amusement value by the shock at the pattern to emerge on the EEG's screen. Short, simple, but clearly a deliberate pattern.

"Okay," Shinichi agreed. "He's informed that he can't move and that not being able to even change his breathing rate is freaking him out a bit, but mostly he feels 'tingly'."

The doctor was gaping at them. "What?"

"You—how did you…?"

"We've had a tap-code for years. The fact that he can't currently move his fingers doesn't change the nerve activity of _trying_, and the EEG can pick up on that."

The doctor (whose nametag Shinichi couldn't focus his eyes well enough to read, no thanks to certain sedatives) made an interested sound. "That's a very good point. It would take a great deal of metal control to keep normal thinking patterns from blurring the message, but…"

"Mental control, Kaito has," Shinichi pointed out. "Either way, though, what did I miss?"

"Ah, right. The poison was derived by concentrating the venom of a urabu umi hebi* and adding a stabilizer to keep the process from breaking down the toxin. As it is a postsynaptic neurotoxin, or an α-neurotoxin*, an antivenin therapy should restore normal motor function. The hospital in Tatsukushi is sending up supplies, so we'll be able to get started on that tomorrow. Meanwhile, it would be best if you _both_ got some rest."

Shinichi let out a breath, relieved. A brief prayer of thanks went to three goddesses he'd asked for Kaito's life, because it seemed they'd decided to grant it. (He'd never believed in gods as a child or a true teen, but time and magic had changed a lot.)

_xxxx_

_*Urabu umi hebi is the Japanese name for black-banded sea krait, which are sea snakes that live near Fiji, southern Japan, and Singapore. Their venom is roughly ten times stronger than that of a cobra, but they rarely bite people._

_*α-neurotoxin is alpha neurotoxin, and yes, they do exist. Did a bit of research to find paralytic venoms with reversible effects._


	36. Chapter 35

_So, if anyone makes AMV-type things... I heard a country song, Jason Aldean, 'Gonna Know We Were Here', and thought that it is one of those songs that would be well-used in a Kaito and Shinichi vs. BO sort of AMV. My ability to make videos is literally nonexistent, though, so I can't do it myself. If anyone feels like giving it a go..._

**_Chapter 35_**

"Kudo-senpai?"

Shinichi woke slowly, blinking as he pushed himself partially upright to twist and look towards the door. Hakuba had sounded… _worried._

"Hey, Hakuba-kun," Shinichi cleared his throat, trying to rid himself of the tired rasp. "Kaito'll be fine. It's an α-neurotoxin, so…"

The British detective closed his eyes for a moment, clearly relieved. "Good. Good. Was… did you…?"

"_Know?_" Shinichi sighed, "I—yes, I, what I saw—Kaito wasn't there, and I'm starting to think I'm not… supposed to try and _change_ it."

Hakuba grimaced, moving to sit in the open guest chair, "That… I don't know what to think about that. I don't know much about…"

Shinichi rubbed his forehead tiredly, "I guess I could ask Akako. She might know something."

Hakuba blinked, "Akako? As in, Koizumi-san?"

Shinichi nodded, "She's the most powerful Red Witch of this generation and knows more about curses, prophesy, and intended fate than anyone else I know of."

Hakuba frowned, "She seems so—I don't—I can't think ill of her?"

Shinichi quirked a shoulder up in a half-shrug, "She's got an allure spell in constant effect. It doesn't work on Kaito—which is why she was so obsessed with him—or me, but she knows better than to mess with me. I have no qualms about ridding her of her sorcery if she becomes a threat. Kaito is… _kinder_ than I, and I deferred to his judgement when she endangered his life in the past, but… well, I have a claim to stand judgement, now."

Hakuba was silent for a few seconds, clearly processing what he'd been told and likely deciding what to ask about. Finally he just shook his head, "Is there any way I can negate this 'allure spell'?"

Shinichi half-shrugged. "I never thought about it, to be honest. She said I have 'eyes that see through all deception'—which apparently includes her illusionary spells as they are, by nature, only deception—and Kaito is immune to outside manipulation of his thoughts or emotions, so I've never had to worry about it. I can look into it, but awareness of a lie weakens it, so that should help."

Hakuba shook himself all over with a grimace, "I _really_ don't like mahou, have I mentioned that?"

"You have now," Shinichi offered a wry smile, "Not that I hadn't guessed by how you cringe every time Kaito or I use it in your presence."

"I don't _'cringe',_" Hakuba refuted unconvincingly. "Anyway, the idea of Koizumi-san playing with my emotions—_literally_—is much more unsettling than watching you bend the laws of physics."

Shinichi tilted his head in acknowledgment of the sentiment. Something altering his perceptions _was_ scarier than something altering the world around him, after all.

"Anyway, what did your parents have to say?"

Shinichi blinked, "My parents?"

"They haven't come in to see you? I passed them in the hall outside the cafeteria."

That meant they _had_ come in to see him and Kaito, but not wanted to disturb Shinichi's rest, which in turn meant... "The would have come here, first. Since they didn't wake me… well, that isn't my parents' 'the initial fear has passed' behavior. Something must be bothering them besides the obvious. If you see them on your way out, will you tell them I'm awake?"

"Of course," Hakuba agreed readily. "I'm glad Kuroba's going to be all right. I'll let Nakamori-keibu know—no one's told Nakamori-san yet; Nakamori-keibu asked that it be kept from her until he could tell her himself. At least this will be better news than earlier. Do they expect a full recovery?"

Shinichi shrugged, "_I_ do, and the doctor did say 'should restore normal motor function'. Even if the antivenin therapy doesn't by itself, though, I can probably work out a way to help it along."

Hakuba nodded, "Good. I'll go report to Nakamori-keibu. Oh, and that Osakan is down at the Beika building with Division One. Did you want him updated? I heard he was there when it happened."

Shinichi considered; Hattori didn't really know him (or Kaito) yet, but he had always invested himself pretty strongly in anything he was even peripherally involved in. "Hattori… yeah, he seemed pretty freaked out. I didn't have time to do anything about it, then, but he'd probably feel better if he knew Kaito's going to be okay."

Hakuba nodded again, "Well, I should probably go. I'll get your school assignments for you until you and Kuroba can come back, Senpai."

Shinichi waved thanks, "See you tomorrow, then."

_xxxx_

Yuusaku frowned down at the (terrible) cup of hospital cafeteria coffee cradled between his hands on the tiny table. Yukiko was doing much the same with something that was about one part coffee, one part hot chocolate, and one part sugar that couldn't really be called 'mocha'.

The earlier visit to the boys' room showed Kaito hooked up to an external pacemaker and a respirator as well as an EEG that seemed to indicate sleep while Shinichi was drugged to unconsciousness and hooked to a heart monitor.

The entire thing was _wrong_, and even the memory had Yuusaku shivering.

"Yuu-chan?"

Yukiko's tiny-voiced question was almost as wrong as the boys being hospitalized with one so close to death. Yuusaku looked up, tilting his head in silent question.

"Will they be okay?"

They, yes, because already the two were a unit. Yuusaku didn't know what would happen to one if the other died, but he did know he didn't want to find out. He wasn't sure how to answer that, though, because the doctor had expressed cautious hope, but pointed out that they weren't _sure._ Still, the writer opened his mouth to respond when a cleared throat to the side made him pause.

"You are Kudo-senpai's parents?" It was less of a question than lilt at the end implied.

Yuusaku turned to see a very gaijin*-looking teen, a bit taller than Shinichi or Kaito and with brownish-blond hair. The flawless Japanese meant probably not gaijin, so perhaps a mixed heritage. "Hai," Yuusaku replied.

"Hakuba Saguru," the blond offered a slight bow, and Yuusaku recognized the name. A high-school detective like Shinichi, half British, who had spent the majority of his childhood in England. Famous in Great Britain, and recently moved to Tokyo. "Kudo-senpai is awake; he asked me to let you know. And… he says that Kuroba should make a full recovery in time."

Yukiko blinked back tears, and Yuusaku closed his eyes for a moment to gather himself. "Thank you, Hakuba-kun. We'll go see him."

"He will appreciate that, I think. Those two…" Hakuba shook his head with a wry smile. "Well, I shouldn't be surprised anymore. Not after the _magic._"

Oh? Shinichi and Kaito trusted this one enough for that? "I see. Well, Hakuba-kun, I will be in touch. Meanwhile, though, we are going to go see our son."

_xxxx_

_*Gaijin roughly translates to 'foreigner', although it might be slightly more accurate to say 'someone who is not Japanese'. Not _entirely_ sure on usage, but I haven't noticed it being used to reference anyone Japanese being in an outside country. If anyone knows for certain…?_

_Wren Truesong has elaborated for me: gaijin is apparently a contraction of 'gaikokujin', which translates as 'outside-country-person' with 'country' implying Japan._


	37. Chapter 36

_A bit filler-ish, but perhaps providing some insight._

**_Chapter 36_**

Two weeks later, Kaito was given a clean bill of health, after a thorough round of antivenin therapy and an annoying set of physical therapy regiments that left the physical therapists baffled. Which, to be fair, wasn't exactly surprising, considering some of the stunts Kaito was capable of pulling off.

Though, Shinichi did suppose it was rather more startling for someone who had recently been paralyzed to the point of _heart _and_ lungs _not working to be able to manage said stunts. Which were professional gymnast level if one was being modest, but that was somewhat the point.

Shinichi's parents had hung around, staying at the mansion in Beika, and had been interested in Hakuba to the point of a certain mother drawing an (increasingly alarmed) British detective into some of her terror schemes.

At least they hadn't been confined to the hospital for the entire two weeks. Shinichi was pretty sure that would have driven Kaito (and, by extension, everyone else in the vicinity) completely insane.

"So. What did Akako have to say?" Kaito broke into Shinichi's musings, bouncing on his toes twice before settling. He'd told Shinichi to go see the witch while he went to his last appointment/checkup after Shinichi had admitted his reluctant suspicions.

"… that Death doesn't like being thwarted," Shinichi sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "Apparently Fate is mutable enough that it doesn't care so much, but when it involves immediate death, things get… _locked,_ sort of. As long as _someone_ dies, it doesn't matter so much _who._ It's just that apparently the magic shrouding us makes us a little separate from what _Is_, sort of, so if you or I are the ones stepping into the victim's place, it's possible to survive."

Kaito grimaced, fingers flicking through something that wasn't—_quite_—a curse.

"Yeah."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to plan better," Kaito decided.

Shinichi thought that over. "… We need to be careful. I don't want…"

"Aa. I don't want that, either."

_xxxx_

Hakuba sighed, only mostly irritated. Kuroba was fine, and while that was a good thing, it meant the magician-thief was also back to his usual antics, which appeared to involve extra pranking to make up for lost time.

Kudo wasn't stopping it, either, which implied that either he was pleased to see Kuroba in high spirits or was giving him a bit of time to get it out of his system. Or both, Hakuba supposed.

It took him longer than it should have to realize the number of pranks directed at Kudo that were then redirected back at Kuroba (and occasionally redirected a second time to some innocent classmate) was significantly higher than usual. He frowned.

This wasn't the same sort of reaction Kuroba had shown towards his husband when Kudo had been showered in a dead man's blood, but the subtle hints of worry around his eyes was similar. But nothing unusual had happened lately, except…

Right. Careless, even _stupid_ of him to have overlooked the possible ramifications of Kudo having known _beforehand_ what was intended to happen and telling Kuroba. If he hadn't, Kuroba would not have been poisoned, would not have almost _died_.

If not having saved a _stranger_ had shaken him so badly…

So. Kuroba wasn't blaming Kudo, but Kudo was probably blaming himself, or at least his lack of reliable foresight—which might amount to the same thing. There wasn't really much Hakuba could do about that.

At least the hotheaded Osakan was gone. He only had to worry about Kudo and Kuroba instead of another high-school detective—which might not have been an actual problem, but he doubted Kudo or Kuroba would want anyone else looking into their affairs. If too much attention was drawn their way, there was a possibility that whatever syndicate they were currently not on the radar of would start noticing them.

_That_ would be a problem.

A small piece of crumpled paper hit him in the forehead and he blinked, startled.

Kuroba glowered at him from atop his own desk, "Stop thinking so hard, Hakuba! You're giving _me_ a headache!"

Kudo smirked, shaking his head in obvious amusement.

Then again, Kuroba might have Kudo handled just fine on his own.

_xxxx_

"Think we should drop in on Hattori?"

Shinichi blinked at the random question, "I don't have a problem with it, but is there a reason?"

Kaito grinned, "You said he figured you out in two meetings last time. I want to see if he can hold the record!"

Shinichi snorted. Of _course._ "Ridiculous. If that were the point, we could just wait until that Holmes convention…"

"Where there were… what? Three murders?"

"Two and one attempted," Shinichi winced, "Right. Okay. That… it might be better if we just found a way to get the entire thing canceled."

"Mm. Well, it's all on that first edition printing of… which was it? A Study In Scarlet?"

"Yeah. I was pretty excited at the thought, then, but now…"

"Seems pointless?"

"Mm."

Kaito gave a half-shrug. "Yeah, there are a lot of things I've looked at lately and thought just… didn't mean anything _real._"

Shinichi smiled, a little nostalgic, "Pointless, but… there was an innocence there. Fifteen years against _Them_ tends to crush that kind of thing."

"Yeah… and keeping the innocents from getting caught up in that kind of thing might make it worth just… I don't know, stealing the book?"

"Would we return it later?"

"Eh. That would draw a lot of attention to it… maybe get some security brought in, if the owner is as proud of it as you said he seemed to be. Maybe turn it into a full heist?"

"Plan. _Plan._ I don't…"

"Planning," Kaito agreed. "Actually, let's start now. Forget Osaka—Hattori would be a help if he shows up again."

"You realize we have time, right? We could still go to Osaka. The contest for invitations won't even be for another two months."

"… isn't that when we let your mom make arrangements for our little honeymoon vacation?"

"Um. Ah, I'd… forgotten about that. Let's check the times: the thing at Mycroft was only supposed to be three days, after all."

"What if they overlap?"

Shinichi bowed his head, grimacing. "Pandora is more important. We steal the book and hope for the best, and if he cancels the gathering, great. If not… well, they won't have the book to fight over."

"'Hope for the best', huh?" Kaito smiled a bit, shaking his head. "I don't like _choosing_ like that, but it's already been made clear that what we remember isn't what will be, not really. After all, the future isn't set in stone."

"No," Shinichi agreed. "And if we can destroy that crystal…"

"It will save a lot more, in the end."

_xxxx_


	38. Chapter 37

_And now for a not-depressing update! I mean, different story, but still..._

**_Chapter 37_**

The times did overlap, so Shinichi planned a heist, as it was Kaito's turn to be 'invited' and he'd pointed out that Sherlock Holmes was really more Shinichi's area, anyway. Shinichi just wondered if anyone would figure out the note without him or Kaito having to spell it out.

_x_

_To my lovely Magician-kun_

_The First of the First  
Held by one who Holds in Great Esteem  
The Modern Tantei First as Written  
At the Home of the Brother  
I Shall Claim in the Darkness of the Silent Moon  
4869_

_Kaito Kid (doodle)_

_x_

There was a sprig of marjoram twined around a lupine flower* taped in the corner.

_xxxx_

Two days later, Nakamori and the Taskforce were still scratching their heads and even Hakuba had been caught scowling at a copy of the notice in the classroom.

Kaito had to sigh, reach over, and snatch the paper out from under Hakuba's twitching fingers.

The scowl was redirected to him, Hakuba's eyes promising some kind of retribution just as soon as he could figure out how. Kaito pouted at him, "Don't look at _me,_ Haku-chan! This kind of thing is _Shinichi's_ field!"

And if that wasn't a big enough hint, Kaito was going to smack the blond over the head with a copy of Holmes. Really. Just because it wasn't a _normal_ heist…

"… What?"

Oh, hey. Shinichi had a paperback copy of _The Hound of the Baskervilles_—in English, of course, the geek—in his hands. How very convenient.

Kaito promptly smacked Hakuba over the head with it, without using his hands or moving from his seat, the book simply appearing over the Brit's head and taking a swing at him, seemingly unassisted. "_Shi-hatchi-roku-kyuu,_ Haku-ba. Geez, I thought you were supposed to be a _fan._"

Hakuba blinked twice and leaned over to snatch the paper back, glaring at the number. "That's a _hint?_"

"Isn't it obvious? Shinichi's been ignoring this one entirely, since it was addressed to me, but after living with him, how _wouldn't_ I see that?"

"See _what?_" Hakuba demanded, a little petulant as the few other people brave enough to hang out in the classroom at lunch with a bored-looking Kaito still inside watched with bated breath.

Shinichi made a gesture as though plucking something from the air, and his book (which had hung mostly forgotten above Hakuba's head for the entire bizarre scolding) obligingly appeared back in his hands. He opened to where he'd been before Kaito had stolen it and continued to ignore the goings-on around him.

"_Shiharokyu,_" Kaito scowled at the blond, "Sherlock. _Holmes_. Your idol. You can handle the rest on your own: _I_ don't want to be the one solving heist notes! I'd rather go challenge Kid on my own, but watching you struggle with something so _blatant_ was painful!"

Hakuba _stared._

The rest of the class did, too, and finally Hakuba just dropped his head into his hands with a resounding groan. Aoko decided to ask the question Hakuba hadn't. (Then again, Hakuba probably thought that Kaito had _written_ the note.)

"How do _you_ know that, Kaito?"

"I said, didn't I?" Kaito huffed at her, "I'm married to _Shinichi._ He took one look at the note, snickered, and walked off. That pretty much gave the whole thing away."

Hakuba perked back up, "'Whole thing'?"

"Mm. I had to double-check, because I wasn't sure I believed it, but there's this die-hard Homes fan with a first-print edition copy of _A Study in Scarlet_, and he does this competition thing at an inn he owns named 'Mycroft' every year. He claims that anyone who manages to pass some ridiculous fan-test he hands out with ninety-nine percent will get a chance to participate in some deduction quiz to win the book. Since this one was addressed to me, I kind of think Kid's making fun of Shinichi."

"Kaito."

"Huh?" Kaito pretended not to notice the thread of irritation in a certain detective's tone.

Shinichi shook his head, "Nevermind. You'll probably do your level best to recolor that white, anyway."

"Only before he gets the book," Kaito assured, grinning. "I wouldn't want to damage such a priceless treasure!"

_The Hound of the Baskervilles_ hit Kaito's head, that time.

_xxxx_

"Why a book?" Hakuba had to ask later that day, safely in what he'd noticed both Kudo and Kuroba referring to as 'the White House' or simply 'White'. He _still_ didn't know where Kuroba was hiding his Kid equipment, and a very amused set of Phantom Thieves (and wasn't _that_ a scary thought, that Kudo was as much Kid as Kuroba) having given him free reign to roam the house as he pleased to look.

Kudo grimaced, "A month and a half from now, I was going to enter the contest. I ended up on the trip along with seven other people, as well as the owner and the maid. The owner and one of the contestants ended up dead and another was injured because someone _really _didn't like that book the owner co-wrote with a friend of his: _The Scorn of Irene Adler._ We're kind of hoping that taking the book for a week or so might get the owner to get some security, as it will draw a lot of attention to him. The person who killed him—and one of the contestants, because that contestant saw something she shouldn't have—will be less likely to act with increased security, and I may be able to intercept and talk him down before next year."

Hakuba grimaced. "Agh. And the fact that you _know_ these things isn't concerning _at all._"

Kuroba shrugged at him, "Well, what can you expect? Shinichi knows all."

The magician got a retaliatory swat for that, "I do not."

"It _feels_ like you do," Hakuba muttered, repressing the urge to shiver. His senpai was _creepy,_ knowing things like that.

"Only the ones I could be there for, near as I can tell," Kudo sighed, "and not even all of those, to be honest. Mainly the heavily premeditated ones."

Which was a different kind of disturbing, if he thought about it. "How are you even sane?"

"Sanity is debatable," Kudo admitted wryly. "Have you met me? I agreed to sign a _marriage license_ with _Kuroba Kaito._"

"Oi!" Kuroba's affronted yelp made it impossible to keep a straight face, and Hakuba chuckled.

"Nevermind, then. I'll report your riddle answer to Nakamori-keibu, Kuroba."

_xxxx_

Nakamori was less than happy with a high-school detective (that was nothing remotely like family, unlike Kudo) reporting Kaito's (_Kaito's_) breakdown of the riddle.

"A _book?_"

"That's what I said," Hakuba Saguru agreed. "But it _does_ match up, and it's the first time Kid's picked a new moon for a heist. _Something_ is going on. It looks like an authentic notice and the style and handwriting are Kid's, but the choice of target is ridiculously outside of his usual, so…"

"It could be an imposter or it could be a real Kid notice," Nakamori sighed, "Well, Kudo might be a better choice on this one, because he's more careful and it's easy to damage a book, but it _is_ Kaito's turn and even _Kid_ acknowledged it."

"Which means it probably _was_ Kid, as we haven't made the semi-alternating heists common knowledge." Hakuba mused.

Nakamori scowled, "Damn it, why a _book?_"

The helpless shrug from the highschooler was his only answer.

_xxxx_

_*Marjoram stands for illusions and Lupine signifies imagination._


	39. Chapter 38

_A chapter! Which I rather think is not depressing at all, so, for those of you who are a bit down from my other still-in-active-progress story may have something to_ not_ cry about._

**_Chapter 38_**

Ironically, it was harder to set up a heist for a small building than a large one, and while Mycroft would be large for a house, it was small for an inn or compared to the places that Shinichi had set up his heists before.

Sure, Kaito had some experience with smaller buildings, some even _very_ small, but Shinichi hadn't pulled off one outside of a high-rise or skyscraper. And he wasn't planning on sharing his plans with Kaito, either, as that was just _asking_ to be paint-bombed mid-heist.

Well. He had actual magic to back him up in an emergency, and Kaito would (naturally) cover for him if it became necessary, just as he would cover for Kaito. So. All he needed was an idea of what the _police's_ plans were, and that should be easy enough to get. Although he wasn't part of the heist plans proper, so he could either…

Well, why not? It would require waiting a bit, but he could make several basic plans and pick the night of.

_xxxx_

"Oh, Kaito!" Nakamori waved at his surrogate son-figure. "Why didn't you come with Kudo-kun earlier?"

A blink, "Shinichi said he wasn't going to—something about not being invited, and I was on my own because the more plausible deniability he has over whatever I set up, the better."

Nakamori blinked back, "He was here an hour ago going over police placement plans." _All_ the police placement plans, including four different backups. Plans that there simply was no time to change, as they were already suiting up the Task Force for deployment.

Kaito looked dubious, "You know, if Shin-chan and I have an easy time impersonating each other and Kid, and Kid has an easy time impersonating _anyone,_ how simple would it be for him to get in here as Shinichi?"

That was… a scary sort of point. "Damn it," Nakamori sighed, not even able to work up the energy to shout about it. "I don't even know how we'd tell him apart, if his real face is that much like yours."

"… don't let either of us come to check plans without the other?" Kaito suggested. "I don't think he'd be able to fool one of _us._"

That was… a very good point. Those two were practically psychic when it came to each other.

"New rule!" Nakamori shouted at the top of his lungs, the entire half-outfitted Taskforce freezing mid-motion before turning their heads to look at their leader. "Kaito and Kudo-kun are not allowed in this building outside of sight-range of each other preceding a Kid Heist!"

The implications of that rule were not lost on the group and several of them went a little wobbly, "You mean Kid knows our plans _already!?_"

Nakamori didn't dignify that with a response, only growling and trying not to curse in front of Kaito. If he did, it might get back to _Aoko_, after all.

(His daughter was scarier than her mother had ever been.)

_xxxx_

Shinichi didn't have Kaito's talent with disguises. Shinichi didn't _need_ Kaito's talent with disguises. He was decent enough with them, but it took him nearly a half-minute to swap out and his talents lay in other directions than shaping latex and makeup into believable faces.

That was one area where his talent in small-trick mahou ended up making him just as good, in the end. He could change his clothes as quickly as Kaito either way, and often didn't want to spare the energy cost of a double-shift in space no matter how light the items were, but the _faces…_

People would literally see only what he wanted them to see. (Cameras not so much. During… the people watching wouldn't see. _After,_ though, playing footage back—that was another story.)

If that was the only ability he used (and it was more ability than spell, at least according to the older Akako who had taught him the ground rules of mahou) he could keep it up for about three hours before it started wearing at him. Six had him tired and headache-ridden, and nine broke it and laid him flat for another five from sheer exhaustion. Headaches would persist for days if he pushed too long, so there were definitely times where Kaito's method was far preferred.

A heist that would likely last less than half an hour was not one of those times.

Shinichi smirked to himself, tugging a replica of Hiroyuki Kanaya's Sherlock cosplay outfit on over his Kid-suit, thinking of what he wanted people to perceive, and slipped in to spray Kid's pink sleeping gas in the man's face before squirreling him away in the master bedroom's spacious closet, tied with duct tape over his clothes in as comfortable a manner as could be managed while still being secure.

He even had the thoughtfulness to drop a futon down on the hardwood floor before Hiroyuki. Kid was a _gentleman_ thief, after all. He had a reputation to uphold.

_xxxx_

It was twenty-point-four seconds into the heist when Hakuba made the decision to just get out of the way, already having had his hair recolored _twice_—and he'd gotten of relatively lightly. Nakamori was rainbow all over, as well as more than half the Taskforce, and neither Kuroba nor Kid had managed to get out of the mass physics conniptions unscathed.

Kuroba, wearing a near-black shirt, had been doused in some kind of glitter formula that made him look more sparkly than the average heist jewel while Kid's white suit sported a splotch of blue on one arm. Not a _large_ splotch, but Kuroba had managed a hit despite the attempted redirect-and-dodge.

Of course, two of the Force managed to catch the rest of the dye-bomb, but the already blue uniforms didn't show the color well, so they only looked a bit damp.

No one was yelling about the book, yet, so Hakuba decided that meant it was still safe—and then Nakamori _howled,_ and Kid had the first-edition copy of _A Study in Scarlet_ in hand, a smirk on his face, and Kuroba made an affronted sound and lowered his mostly-raised arm into an indignant point, "Hey! Not fair! I told Shinichi I wouldn't damage the book!"

Kid's smirk widened as Nakamori and his men stopped as one, eying the thief and his prize warily.

Kuroba was right in his implication, after all. A book was _much_ easier to damage than the average rock, no matter how valuable that rock might be.

"And why did you think I grabbed it? Either way, though, I must be off. Magician-kun, Tantei-san," genial nods at both of them before a slightly more mocking one at the police, "Nakamori-keibu and my lovely Taskforce."

A puff of pink smoke, and Kid was gone with his prize.

Hakuba glanced down at his watch, blinked twice, then looked around the chaotic colors across every person left in the room (and somehow _not_ on any of the walls, furniture, or rugs).

It _really_ should have taken longer than one minute and eighteen seconds to bring about this much chaos.

_x_

_To Nakamori-keibu and my Lovely Taskforce:_

_I was quite pleased by your improved performance at my latest heist! Had I been after something less delicate, I would have spent some time seeing just how well you can respond to my tricks. Unfortunately, I could not risk the prize, as Magician-kun has a repertoire not too different from my own and lacks Meitantei-san's reverence for Holmes._

_I will be sure to test you at my next heist, so keep in practice!_

_ Kaitou Kid  
1412 (doodle)_

_xxxx_


	40. Chapter 39

.

**_Chapter 39_**

After due consideration, Shinichi and Kaito decided not to return the book until after the originally scheduled date of the mini Holmes convention at Mycroft, even though it meant holding on to the heist target for over two months.

In order to make it slightly more believable that it would take so long—and with the police fully aware that there _were_ people after Kid's life—they also determined not to set up any heists for those two months. Or (no matter how tempting) respond should someone _imitate_ Kid, as happened on occasion. After that, they would intimate a recently-recovered injury on whatever notice they passed back with the book.

The reasoning was simple: while returning the book might get some security on the inn, it was also possible that Hiroyuki would decide that having been stolen in such a high-profile manner, no lesser thief would dare. Not returning it pretty much guaranteed that the man would end up _not_ holding his semi-traditional showoff party at the original time this year, as he would have nothing to show off. And it hadn't exactly been announced ahead of time—it never was, and it wasn't as though he'd chosen the same three days every year he'd done it, either. Two months ahead, it was possible that no one even knew when he'd been planning it for.

Of course, that _also_ meant that it might be best to have Shinichi intercept a certain would-be murderer before returning the book, as Hiroyuki could just decide that a few weeks made no real difference and reschedule his contest.

So. With that in mind, Kaito looked up the name 'Togano Kento'. Even if he didn't have thoughts of murder just yet, it was better to know where to find him. Still, holding onto the book for a while was a definite. They could worry about dealing with the guy after they handled Pandora. It _was_ only two months, after all.

_xxxx_

_Another day, another hair-color_, Hakuba thought wryly, pulling out a nondescript compact mirror to check what it was _this_ time. Almost everyone in the school carried one now, even though they were technically made for women. The things could be found in neutral colors, so most of the guys had a less girly-colored one somewhere in their things. It paid, after all, to know what color your hair was.

Red. A dull and almost natural-looking red, at that, so not _nearly_ as bad as it could have been. Hakuba still cringed thinking about the time that Kuroba had decided bubble-gum pink was his color of the day.

That was before Kudo Shinichi had showed up and informed them that if they didn't want a partial-set, they'd better rub oil-based conditioner in their hair before washing it. His hair had been noticeably pink for a week, and just as soon as he'd gotten it arguably blond again, Kuroba had hit him with bright green.

Hakuba shook his head and slid the mirror back in his bag, habitually glancing at his watch. Only eight and a half minutes before Kuroba's rampage would be brought to a (usually stunning) halt by a husband that had decided Kuroba should have gotten the worst of it out of his system by now, and no longer needed extra prank-time.

For which students and teachers alike were grateful. Still, it was almost _nice,_ to have things back to normal. It was too quiet when Kuroba wasn't there—and too hectic when _only_ Kuroba was. Thankfully, that hadn't been a problem since he'd gotten married.

Still…

"I notice the book hasn't been returned, yet," Hakuba murmured to Kudo, deliberately ignoring Kuroba-and-Nakamori's gleeful mop-chase around the room. Well, _Kuroba_ was gleeful, at any rate, and since he hadn't been checking underwear colors, Nakamori wasn't actually angry, though certainly annoyed about something.

Kudo quirked an eyebrow at him, "That's true," he agreed, tone musing.

Of course. Public location, possible bugs or eavesdroppers—unlikely, but possible. So… "What could Kid want with a _Sherlock Holmes_ book?"

His senpai shrugged, "To keep that sort-of-annual Holmes convention from happening? I don't _know,_ he's insane."

So… they were planning on keeping it for a while, then. As for the second… "Very true. No other thief makes a point of telling the police when and where they're going to strike." Even if Hakuba _did_ know why, it was still crazy.

_xxxx_

"So, what do you think about this weekend?"

"Hm?" Shinichi glanced up at the question, quirking and eyebrow.

Kaito thrummed his fingers against his desk, 'Osaka', quirking an eyebrow right back.

"Ah, right. Sure, Monday's a teachers' conference, so it's plenty of time."

Off to the side, Hakuba and Aoko weren't the only ones to exchange puzzled glances, but nobody interrupted. Break without Kaito going color-happy on everyone? Not something to be squandered. Shinichi hid a smirk. The class was _trained._

"Prior warning?" Kaito asked.

Shinichi shrugged, "Call the Superintendent, maybe? Or Otaki-han, I suppose." An off-hand flick of fingers melding into a return tap. 'Not like Hattori ever gave warning.'

Kaito grinned, "Point. Otaki-han would probably think it was funny to have that turned around on him, and the Superintendent would love it if we could show him how inconvenient that can be."

Those things were probably both true, "Aa. Well, then. Think we should invite Hakuba?"

Hakuba stiffened, looking a bit wary.

"Not this time," Kaito decided after a moment's glance towards the British detective. "I think he could probably stand the break. Next time, _definitely._"

Hakuba relaxed again, and Shinichi didn't bother hiding his smirk at that.

"Erk," Hakuba managed on seeing the expression.

Shinichi looked over, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"_Please_ don't use that smirk, Senpai," Hakuba half-begged in reply, "It makes you look like your husband. Or worse, _Kid._"

Shinichi's smirked turned into a grin, a bubble of gleeful mischief rising in his chest, "We _do_ look rather alike, don't we? Oh, that reminds me—Thursday after school we have another session with the Taskforce. Care to join?"

Hakuba blinked, "Session with the Taskforce?"

"Yup!" Kaito butted in, grinning brightly. "Nakamori-keibu got permission to have Shinichi and me do some training! We even get _paid_ for it! Kid-sama noted the improvement in his post-heist note last time, so we can't slack off now!"

"You're almost honorary Taskforce," Shinichi added, "and if we ask, Nakamori probably won't complain too much. It would be better if the detectives working with them knew what the Taskforce would be doing, after all—that way you won't get in each others' way."

Shinichi could almost _see_ the reluctant conceding of the point, and he had to tamp down the urge to give a very Kaito-like grin. Hakuba had managed to miss the precinct gossip, having not spent a lot of time with Division Two lately, and didn't know what that training involved. It was going to be _fun._ (Clearly, Kaito was contagious.)

"Thursday after school, then? When and where?"

"Division Two training warehouse—I'll write the directions down for you—at four-thirty sharp. Come in something you don't mind getting a bit roughed up in—it _is_ heist training with the Taskforce."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret this?" Hakuba asked no one in particular.

Aoko answered him anyway, "Because Kaito's involved."

Kaito only grinned.

_xxxx_


	41. Chapter 40

.

**_Chapter 40_**

"… Dear _lord,_" Hakuba said faintly. He'd been growing increasingly nervous throughout the school day as Kuroba had more-or-less ignored him aside from a few absently tossed paper balls that hadn't left behind color, glitter, sleeping powder, glue, or anything else of an uncomfortable or chaotic nature.

He had seen that as a portent of things to come—the proverbial 'calm before the storm' that would come during the training session.

He glanced back at the cringing and very stickily _bright_ Taskforce, then at the twin mischief-laced grins and white suits, shuddered, and tried very hard to ignore the feeling of something thick, lumpy, and likely sugar-based dripping down the back of his neck from his hair.

The Taskforce—Nakamori included—were worse off than he was, but not as much as Hakuba would have expected. Obviously those two were going a bit easy on the group.

Right. Training. Start easier and work up from there.

Apparently they expected him to be better than the Taskforce, because they were being harder on him. He wasn't sure whether to be flattered, infuriated, or resigned… and had been forced to pull some maneuvers he just _knew_ were going to leave him aching later in order to dodge the worst of it.

"Why syrup?" he asked plaintively, not really expecting an answer.

A grin and a flurry of feathers responded, as well as a very Kid-cheery, "Don't forget the dove treats, Tantei-san!"

… _Dove treats?_

The flurry of feathers resolved into five doves descending on him in an avian equivalent of a shark feeding frenzy, snatching various seeds out of the syrupy substance in his hair… which explained the lumps, but _really? _They were setting _attack_ _doves_ on him.

"Ow!" He waved off four of the pinching beaks, and the smallest simply planted itself against the middle of his back, tiny claws tangled in cloth to hold itself right where he couldn't reach as it plucked more seeds from the back of his shirt. That didn't involve pinches and hair-tugging, so he decided to let it be.

Well. At least the current use of the sugar-syrup and seed mix meant they probably wouldn't replicate it at an actual heist, as that would be a bit suspicious. Unless they—or whoever was the Kid of the night—claimed a spy-session, which would even be _technically_ true.

… This was obviously a nightmare. He was going to wake up and wonder what the hell he'd been given to make him have such psychotically realistic dreams.

_x_

Or, he found himself reflecting three-point-four-one hours later in Nakamori-keibu's office while the inspector alternated between grumbled curses and interrogating the two Kids (both still in white suits though neither was wearing a hat or monocle any longer), he could find out that two heads were significantly more reality-bending than one.

They'd quietly denied using any _actual_ reality-bending when he'd asked, which was its own kind of terrifying.

(Maybe) Kuroba grinned at him when he sighed, picking sugar-crusted seeds out of his hair while (maybe) Kudo shook his head with a half amused, half resigned smile. Hakuba wouldn't have put it past them to have switched with each other (again, according to past implications) just to see if anyone would notice.

"Maybe you should go home and get cleaned up, Hakuba-kun," the possible Kudo suggested.

Probably Kuroba pouted just a little, "There isn't even anything really fun in that mix, because I didn't want to make the doves sick."

That was good to know. "You know what? I think I'll take your advice, Senpai," he directed at maybe Kudo. No, drop the maybe, there was _never_ any guarantee that those two were who they claimed to be at any given point in time; questioning would simply complicate things. Whoever claimed to be Kudo was Kudo and whoever claimed to be Kuroba was Kuroba unless or until they switched.

Trying to guess was _not_ worth the headache.

_xxxx_

Nakamori watched three teens vacate the building and shook his head, glancing over the Taskforce members still in varying states of color, stickiness, dress, and general disarray. Not as badly as at a heist, granted, but not much better.

"Sir?" one of the newer brave souls said after a moment of him standing there.

Nakamori looked at him.

"I know that they're hired to do this and all," he gestured vaguely, "but I think those two might be worse than Kid."

Nakamori had harbored the same thought, but he settled for nodding once, "Good," he stated as he'd semi-reluctantly decided, though not bothering to explain his reasoning.

"'Good?'" Sensui half-asked from where he was tugging off sugar-crusted riot gear.

A few of the more enthusiastic of the 'Force seemed to get it, grins starting up under bright hair, "Oh, _good._"

_xxxx_

"Think he noticed?" Kaito asked, cheerfully mischievous as he ruffled his hair back into his usual style.

Shinichi ran a hand through his own hair, letting it settle from the Kaito-mop back into the mostly-neat pattern it preferred. "Hakuba? From how much he was twitching, he noticed _something._ He didn't seem very confident about it, though."

Kaito snickered, "Well. Think we could skip Saturday? It's only a half-day, after all, and we're pretty far ahead…"

"But we've both missed a lot," Shinichi countered.

"Placement testing would mark us as grad school at _least_ and you know it."

That was true. "I'll talk to the teachers," Shinichi temporized.

"Bah, they'll say 'yes' just to get me out of their hair for the morning."

Probably also true. "Well, we can pre-empt the homework if we get it tomorrow. Go make yourself useful and pack or something. I'll call the Superintendent."

_xxxx_

"Ah, Osaka!" Kaito took a deep breath, grinning and falling into the local dialect flawlessly.

Shinichi chuckled at the finger-flick prompting him to do the same—'_practice'_—and followed suit. "Aa, let's go. Hattori-han said to go to his place. His wife is expecting us."

They managed to get all the way out of the train station before anyone screamed.

Shinichi stopped, one hand rising to cover his face in frustrated resignation. "_Again?_"

'Akako _did_ say you're cursed,' Kaito reminded with silent fingers.

She had. Cursed to find truth to bring justice against those who killed 'out of malice' was the wording, if he remembered correctly. Still…

'Not a repeat for me,' Shinichi signed back two minutes later, having scanned the scene and called Hattori Heizo. He had a pretty good idea on 'who', but less on 'why' and no solid—wait. There. Evidence found.

_xxxx_

"What a welcome, huh?" Kaito sighed, "I'm sorry, Shin-chan. We just can't get away from these things, can we?"

"You mean _I_ can't get away from them. You never run into things like this unless I'm with you."

"Ah," Otaki-han murmured, getting two questioning glances for it. "Sorry, it's just…"

"Police gossip?" Shinichi gave a tired sort of smile and Kaito wanted to do something to make it a _real_ smile.

He was sick of Shinichi having to deal with this just because some entity thought he was a good justice hound. Which, to be fair, he _was,_ but he didn't deserve all the death he stumbled onto.

"We've got your statements, we've got the culprit and a confession—I'll take you to the Hattori place. See if you can't get some rest before Hei-chan gets home."

Kaito offered a smile, small and grateful. "Thanks, Otaki-han. A break would be nice."

Who knew? They might even get one.

_xxxx_


	42. Chapter 41

.

**_Chapter 41_**

Interestingly enough, they _did_ get a break. Much to the detective's relief, no one died either while Otaki was driving them to the Hattori estate (because 'residence' didn't do it justice, considering the private dojo) or _at_ said estate, which afforded them a good four hours before a certain high school student returned home.

Shizuka-han* ushered them inside, looked them over critically, and promptly directed them to the dining room and plied them with cookies. Kaito was delighted.

Shinichi was amusedly resigned to dealing with his husband on a sugar-high. Well, more of one than usual, anyway, and he took a moment to warn Hattori's mother that her house was likely to undergo several temporary makeovers while Kaito was bouncing around.

"'Temporary makeovers'?" she asked, a little warily.

"Kaito won't do anything that will cause damage or permanent recoloring, and he'll clean up after himself. I just thought you could use advance warning before-" there was a distinctive 'poof', the sound that Kaito's 'civilian-grade' smoke bombs made (civilian being 'non-Kid' as opposed to 'commercially available') and three end tables and the couch were suddenly tie-dye.

Shinichi sighed, "-_that_ happens."

Shizuka-han gaped and three more smoke bombs went off, Kaito happily recoloring the living room as he hung, bat-style, from the ceiling.

"Kaito?" Shinichi called pleasantly, smiling up at his errant husband.

Kaito gulped visibly, "Yes, Shin-chan?"

"No more of Shizuka-han's baking for you, and I want this room back to its original condition in no more than three minutes."

Kaito eeped and set to work in a billow of white smoke.

Shinichi hid his amused pride at Shizuka-han's awed disbelief when her living room drifted back into view, looking as though it had never been altered except for Kaito still on the ceiling, only instead of hanging he was lying on it, looking rather like he'd reversed gravity.

"Wha—how did—?"

"You see, Shizuka-han?" Shinichi gestured vaguely, "Kaito won't do any harm. He just gets a little more crazy than usual on home-baked goods."

That only seemed to confuse her more, but as long as she wasn't after either of their blood for recoloring her home, Shinichi was okay with that.

_xxxx_

Of course, after five minutes of relative peace, Kaito went back to recoloring his surroundings. That time, though, Shizuka watched in fascination instead of horror-turning-into-rage, so Shinichi let it be.

By the time Hattori—Heiji, that was, as technically the whole family was 'Hattori'—the entire house as immediately visible from the genkan no longer looked anything like the semi-traditional Japanese home that he lived in. Shinichi was greatly amused by the way he stopped in the doorway as quickly and thoroughly as if he'd just walked face-first into an invisible wall.

A long moment of jaw-dropped silence—Shinichi took the opportunity to remove himself from possible sight-line—and Hattori gave hesitant "Okan?"

Hm. Apparently 'stunned Hattori' equated to 'less irreverent Hattori'. Good to know.

Shizuka poked her head out of the kitchen, holding the bright purple spoon that she'd been running under water in an attempt to find out how Kaito had recolored it.

(Shinichi wasn't going to explain that one, as it had nothing to do with _dye._ Or actual color, really, like most everything else. _He_ was going to end up having to undo it, too, as Kaito had started to wear out his extra energy, and a tired Kaito had trouble pulling up the focus to deal with complex anchorings.)

"Heiji!" she greeted cheerfully, grinning at the sight of her shell-shocked son, "How do you like it? I felt tha' it was getting a bit dreary around here."

"… Does Oyaji know abou' this?" Hattori asked weakly.

"Of course not, don' be silly!" Shizuka waved the purple spoon in her son's direction, "I wan' it ta be a surprise!"

Hattori made a strange sound, a cross between a groan and a whimper of horror.

Apparently Kaito couldn't take it anymore, because he burst out laughing.

Hattori jerked, looking around wildly before turning his gaze upwards—Kaito was really enjoying his ceiling-strolls today—and falling over backwards at the bright grin directed at him from the wrong side of the roof. "Gah! K-Kuroba!?"

Shinichi chuckled, stepping into view and quirking an eyebrow at Kaito, who had plopped 'down' to sit cross-legged on the ceiling.

Kaito pouted.

Shinichi tapped a finger on the wall, and Kaito huffed. "Fine, fine. I suppose waiting until Hattori-han got back would be a bit much."

Shinichi nodded and snapped his fingers as Kaito dropped two smoke bombs. Some air manipulation to pull the smoke to cover only the recolored objects in direct line-of-sight (including the spoon) and a _twist_ of will—and the illusions shattered. By the time the smoke cleared, everything was back to normal Hattori-household coloration.

Hattori gaped while Shizuka applauded.

"Wha-how did-tha' ain't _possible!_"

Kaito dropped down from the ceiling to land upright in front of Hattori with a sweeping bow and mocking grin, "A magician must never reveal his secrets, Hattori-kun!"

_xxxx_

Shinichi, Kaito decided, was having even more fun watching Hattori squirm than Kaito himself.

Kaito grinned, fingers flicking at his husband while Hattori was busy looking at his suddenly vibrantly orange shirt. 'You realize that he hasn't given you endless grief over being a grade-schooler, don't you?'

Shinichi only gave a completely unrepentant smirk, fingers flicking right back, 'I just want to see how long it'll take for him to realize that I know him better than deduction or research could account for. It's _way_ too easy to rile him up this way.'

Kaito cackled and promptly made to dye Shinichi's hair a shade of blue to match his eyes.

The result—his own hair matching his own (and Shinichi's) eyes—was not entirely unexpected, and he took the instant Shinichi needed to redirect to launch a second assault.

Shinichi spent a moment looking at the cowlick-bang in front of his face and grinned, "Couldn't let us not match, huh?"

Hattori made a strangled sound.

Shinichi laughed outright, much to Kaito's glee. "Sorry, Hattori. We're usually not this bad, I swear. Your mom gave us home-baked sugar and Kaito's _contagious._"

"Gah," Hattori tugged irritably at the bright shirt, "I look like a walking hazard sign!"

"More like you're going hiking during hunting season in America," Kaito corrected blithely.

"Well, you're not likely to get hit by a car, anyway," Shinichi decided aloud. "It'd be hard to miss you in daylight."

Kaito cackled again, reaching for another dye-bomb, and Shinichi pre-empted his movement. "We should probably go somewhere else. I'm not sure your dojo can survive us if we go all-out, Hattori."

Kaito took a moment to pout before brightening again, "Hey, how far to the nearest forest? I want to play dodgeball!"

Hattori blinked at both of them, then apparently decided to resign himself to the madness. "About forty kilometers, but there's a train that'll take us almost all the way. Come on, ya two crazy ahou."

_xxxx_

'Crazy' turned out to be bit of an understatement, because Kuroba's idea of 'dodgeball' was Hattori's idea of 'suicidal'. He had no idea how Kudo was getting that kind of power and accuracy, but dented tree-bark and Kuroba having to dodge _ricochets_ was downright _terrifying._

On the other hand, both members of the couple were winding down from what apparently really _had _been a massive sugar-high.

Finally Kuroba flopped onto his back in the dirt, waving one hand at the sky vaguely. "I surrender!"

Kudo laughed, breathless and no longer sounding maniacal. "Well, that was fun. You alive over there, Kai?"

A huff, "As if you wouldn't know!" Kuroba sat up, shaking his head vigorously to dislodge twigs and bits of bark from his hair, "Shin-chan! We should really do this more often."

"What?" Kudo asked, moving over towards his husband. "Go out in the middle of nowhere and work on your dodging skills?"

Hattori decided not to interrupt, curious about the no-longer-crazy interaction.

"No—well, maybe, as no one else wants to get close when we do—but take a break somewhere where there aren't any people."

Kudo sighed, reaching down to pull Kuroba to his feet, "Because no one can drop dead if there's no one there?"

Kuroba's smile dimmed to something wry, "Yeah. Pretty much."

"Because that's worked so _well_ for me in the past."

Hattori frowned, unable to keep quiet on that one, "Wha'd ya mean?"

Kudo glanced at him, blinking as though he'd genuinely forgotten he was there. "You didn't know?"

Or maybe just in surprise at the question, then. "Know wha'?"

"The longest I've ever gone without coming across a dead body in my _life_ was twelve days, and that was before I was even a _month_ old. Kaa-san was stumbling over them when she was taking me places, and so was Tou-san. No matter where I go, someone _always_ dies. We already ran into a murder right outside the train station when we got here."

He'd heard the term 'Tokyo's Shinigami' bandied about in the Division One headquarters in Osaka, but he hadn't thought it was about _Kudo._ "Tha's _ya?_"

Kudo sighed, good mood effectively smothered. "Yeah. That's me."

Hattori bit his lip, suddenly suspecting the magnitude of the reason that Kudo had taken the first chance he got to dodge out of the media spotlight. Sure, Hattori had seen his fair share of death, but he didn't _stumble across_ murders like that. Once, yes, and he'd tagged along with police plenty of times, because following death to bring the killers to justice was one thing, but to have death follow _him?_

That was an unnerving thought.

… And that diplomat's wife had been _planning_ to kill her husband when Kudo walked in the door of the room. (Sure, Kudo hadn't been the only one, but Hattori had never walked into a room where someone was planning to kill someone in front of him before, and it sounded like it happened to Kudo all the time.)

He shivered, "Come on, then. Le's get back. Okaa-han will probably have dinner ready by the time we get there and Oyaji might be home if nothing big came up a' work."

Kudo nodded, "Thanks, Hattori."

Kuroba smiled, not that freaky smirk, but an actual, friendly expression. "Aa. Thank you."

Hattori didn't know what he was being thanked for.

_xxxx_

_*Hattori Shizuka is Hattori Heiji's mother and Hattori Heizo's wife. You don't see much of her in canon, but she exists. In the anime, she has two episode appearances that I remember in the two hundreds and one in the four hundreds, which is a 'flashback' episode._

_xxxx_


	43. Chapter 42

_I am home and mostly better. Not completely, but mostly, and so I have a few short posts for you guys! Merry Christmas._

**_Chapter 42_**

It was kind of sad, Kaito thought wryly, that he _wasn't_ surprised by the body hitting the ground in front of them as they walked past a fancy hotel with outdoor balconies. If Shinichi was cursed to find murderers, Hattori's proximity somehow managed to warp the curse to specify that the deaths would somehow involve dropping from a height.

Granted, it wasn't _every_ time Shinichi and Hattori met up, but at least one in five murders that Shinichi stumbled on with the Osakan in tow had 'falling', either as the direct cause of death or the way the body was found.

Hattori was gaping and Shinichi dropped his face into his hands with a groan before straightening his shoulders and going to check the body, a quick gesture having Kaito herding bystanders back and reaching for his phone. A 110-dial later, and the police were on their way.

Hattori gathered his wits enough to go join the preliminary examination and Shinichi paused to pass on the information he'd already gathered. Kaito couldn't hear it all from where he was distracting two children—second or third grade, from the look of it—from the scene.

(At least it wasn't bloody, which meant the person in question had been dead well before the drop.)

A questioning wave in Shinichi's direction brought a negative sign waved in his direction, and Kaito wasn't too surprised there, either. Shinichi hadn't been in Osaka at this point in time, last time around, so that it wasn't a 'repeat' was partially expected.

It had probably happened outside of Shinichi's radar.

Hattori's hat was facing forward—a habit he'd kept well into his twenties, but had tapered off by thirty (mainly due to the fact that he'd stopped wearing baseball caps all the time)—and Shinichi looked… _nostalgic_. Which was going to feed more theories into the Osakan's always-active mind, and Kaito wondered what he'd think.

Considering he'd looked at Conan at their second meeting and thought 'Hey. That six-year-old is the well-known sixteen-year-old detective Kudo Shinichi,' whatever Hattori came up with was bound to be interesting. And possibly even correct.

_xxxx_

The fact that Heiji had cases all but dropped into his lap both of the times he'd been near Kudo notwithstanding (and this one was literally 'dropped' though thankfully not literally onto him), being around Kudo was _weird._

And that wasn't even counting the crazy magician husband.

No, the weirdness was the _familiarity._ Kudo _knew_ him, knew him in little ways that didn't make sense—and he _felt_ like an old friend. Like a piece that slotted into his life alongside the rest as though it had been there all along, or at least for years. Kudo felt almost like family, and despite the crazy that was Kudo-and-Kuroba, nothing that happened with either of them was entirely surprising or unexpected. Second meeting—that shouldn't have been.

Kuroba felt like a friend, too, if the exasperating and prank-pulling kind, and Heiji knew full well that he hadn't met either of them more than that once before, so the ease and familiarity were—_should_ have been, rather, because they _weren't_—disconcerting.

On the other hand, it was now very clear who was the better detective, and Heiji was not ashamed to admit it wasn't him. Kudo had seen through the poison at the Tsujimuras even before Kuroba had dropped, and now had a sharp look of comprehension as he scanned the body before he turned to look up, frowned, and pulled a pair of wide-framed glasses out of his pocket.

Heiji watched with interest as Kudo put them on—he didn't think that the other teen _needed_ glasses. Then Kudo tapped on the edge of the frames and one of the lenses lit up in pale blue, a grid crossing them. Another tap, and the grid shifted, though Heiji couldn't tell what it was showing.

Kudo gave a bitter smile, and tucked silver frames away.

"Wha's up with the glasses, Kudo?"

"Zoom function. Saves having to climb up there."

Heiji whistled, "Damn. I wan' some. Wha'd ya see?"

The answer was less simple than it sounded, but Kudo explained and the pieces fit. A ding in the metal, a chip in the brick, and a trailing line of blood. Irony: suicide made to look like murder, when matched to blood on fingertips and a high-tensile fishing line dangling down (barely seen, twisting in the wind and catching the sunlight like spider-web strands) and a small steel anchor that had probably come from some large model boat.

Was everything around Kudo so convoluted?

_xxxx_

Hattori was onto something—despite the fact that the case was solved, his hat was still facing forward. Which gave Shinichi something to look forward to, likely in the near future. Either Hattori would make some outlandish claim (that may or may not end up being the right one, anyway) or he'd just demand answers.

Shinichi wondered how much further he could press the guy before he gave in and grinned. "What do you think about dango, Hattori?"

"Huh?" the Osakan blinked, thrown by the question.

"Post death-related case policy: comfort food and/or drink. Kaito may have started it, but it actually _does_ help."

"Ah, righ'," Hattori looked considering, "Not a bad idea, tha'. I like dango."

"Great!" Kaito piped in, "There's a place near here!"

Which Hattori had introduced them to as his favorite dango place, and Shinichi spared a moment to wonder if he'd been there yet, this time around. The fact that it doubled as a coffee shop was a bonus, of course.

"Huh," Hattori said as they entered the shop. "Nice place. Homey."

Shinichi decided to pass on another clue and ordered for all three of them, including hot chocolate for Kaito and a hazelnut expresso for Hattori. He didn't know if his fellow detective had been hooked on the things at this point in time, but Hattori had been practically addicted to the things for years in his memory.

Ten minutes later, the Osakan cracked, "Damn it, Kudo—how do you know so much about me? _I_ didn't even know I'd like these things!" he waved his (thankfully covered) cup for emphasis.

"Would you believe me if I said 'time travel'?" Shinichi asked.

A pause. Hattori blinked, then blinked again. "Ah… tha' might actually explain a lot."

_xxxx_

Had it been anyone but Kudo—or _possibly_ Kuroba—to ask that question, Heiji would have thought that they were either having him on or brushing him off. As it was, though, time travel made a creepy number of things _make sense._ Hattori had always been almost preternaturally sensitive to anyone he had a bond with—be it friendly, familial, or partially romantic, in Kazuha's case, though he wasn't going to admit that to the girl for a good long while. Part of him was hoping she'd find someone less inclined to get himself into trouble, if only for her sake, though he wasn't blind enough not to see that she was head-over-heels for him in her own rough way.

Seeing and acknowledging were two different things, though, and the second was not in his immediate plans. After high school, maybe. When things were more stable.

None of which had anything to do with the immediate topic, and he pulled his attention back to the not-quite-claim.

Bonds were two-way, even if most people didn't have his sense of them. He knew when people he really cared about were in trouble, after all, and even the less in-tune people would often get a bad feeling if something _really_ bad happened. Death, coma—people tended to feel like something was wrong somewhere even before they knew who or what.

And if Kudo _did_ know him, that was half a bond right there. Heiji having met him, well, his end was getting filled in pretty quick. "Kuroba too?" he asked.

To his surprise, Kudo actually leaned back and chuckled. "Only you, Hattori, _only_ you."

"Wha'?"

Kuroba grinned at him, "Yeah, but we never were as close as you and Shin-chan. It's just… well, the original story had a situation as seemingly impossible involved, and you _still_ pegged him on the second meeting. He was pretty sure you'd be the only one to take it just fine and at face-value."

"Am I gonna get tha' story?"

Kudo shook his head, "Not today, and _definitely_ not here. I'm not covering eighteen years in a dango café. And on that note, it's how we knew about this place—you took us here pretty early on. It changed hands a few times, but they kept the same recipe, so it stayed a favorite—and you'd been addicted to the hazelnut expressos for years."

"Eh," Heiji shrugged, "Fair enough. Bu' I'll be want'n to pick yer brain sometime, Kudo, and since ya apparently don' have time righ' now, I'll wait." There as a slight pause.

"One question, though… why'd Kuroba get _exasperated_ when the hotel-guy hit the sidewalk?"

_xxxx_


	44. Chapter 43

_This is a short, quiet, filler-chapter in which very little actually happens. Just the somewhat average school-day, really. It's actually shorter than I planned, but I've had so much trouble focusing/staying awake and/or headache-free lately that I figured better to give something than wait another week to try and get one more section typed. It'll fit just as well for the beginning of the next, even if it would give you a little more to think about._

**_Chapter 43_**

"Hey, Kaito, Kudo-kun," Nakamori-san waved as the two entered the classroom and Hakuba took the moment to glance up as well.

"Good morning," he greeted neutrally, keeping an eye out for any sudden movements. Oddly, none seemed to be forthcoming.

"Did you have a good trip?" Nakamori-san asked.

"It was fun!" Kuroba grinned at her, "Shin-chan only had to solve two cases, and only one body dropped from the sky!"

"Technically it was a hotel balcony," Kudo corrected dryly, "and that one wasn't even a _murder._"

"Attempted framing-by-suicide and Shinichi always gets the _weird_ ones."

Framing by _suicide?_ That _was_ weird.

Kudo only shrugged, "Not the first time someone's tried to frame someone for murder by committing suicide, although it was admittedly one of the more… _creative._ Though that time with the guy knifing himself in the back with the aid of an ice-block might top it."

"… Aoko doesn't want to know," Nakamori-san said after a moment, looking a bit disturbed.

Hakuba had to admit that he wasn't sure _he_ wanted to know, either. That was just… he didn't even _know._ "Do you ever run across the standard, everyday, purse-snatcher or pickpocket type of crimes?" Hakuba asked after a moment.

"… I ran across Kaitou Kid incidentally that time at the Ekoda Clock Tower," Kudo offered after a long moment of consideration.

Hakuba shook his head, "That does not count as an 'everyday crime'."

"There was this one time where there was a huge fuss over who broke the several-million-yen bottle of wine. Turned out to be a nesting dormouse*. I think I was six or seven at the time."

Kuroba cackled, "Nesting dormouse?"

Kudo grinned.

"… That doesn't even count as a _crime_," Hakuba pointed out just as the teacher walked into the room. At least they both seemed in good spirits, and if only one case had been a murder, it sounded like it had been a reprieve. (It really said something about Kudo that 'only one' could be applied to 'number of murder cases stumbled on over a long weekend'.)

_xxxx_

Kaito flopped back against sun-heated rooftop concrete with a pleased hum, careful in his landing to avoid scrapes or bruises, closing his eyes happily. A slow day, and he wasn't all that inclined to stir things up. It was the _nice_ kind of slow, cat-warm and lazy.

Shinichi seemed to agree with him, a familiar rustle-pattern to the sound of the person dropping down to lie beside him. Kaito hummed again, acknowledging the presence, and Shinichi tapped fingers against the roof.

Kaito cracked one eye open, watching in amusement as little balls of glitter-laced wind started up. Shinichi was the best with wind, followed by water and earth. Kaito, on the other hand, favored fire in his not-tricks. Ironically, that meant he was about as good at fire as Shinichi was, and while his talents with the other three basic elements were roughly on par with his talent with fire, that left him behind Shinichi with the other three.

He gave a mental shrug—Shinichi was _really_ good at reshaping the world with his mind. Kaito was better at reshaping with his hands. Still, the demand to practice had him spinning blue flame into existence between twirls of glitter caught in wind.

He spent a few minutes chasing glitter with fire, Shinichi always deftly keeping any of his glitter from being burned by shifting the swirls of wind out of the way, then he heard the door to the roof open.

There was a long pause as flame and swirls of glitter stilled (well, mostly, as the glitter was only a way to keep the wind visible, which meant that the miniature windstorms had stopped moving around, but not the actual air _in_ them,) and Hakuba sighed heavily.

"I'm not even going to ask."

Kaito grinned up at the sky and sent a ball of blue flame to float by Hakuba, careful to cool it enough to prevent possible harm. Beside him, Shinichi chuckled as Hakuba made a disgruntled sound.

It was a _good_ day.

_xxxx_

"Aoko has noticed Kaito's behaved today," Aoko informed Kaito, not sure whether she should be suspicious or worried.

To her relief, Kaito only smiled at her, and while the smile was quieter than his usual grins it was happy all the same. "It's a nice day. I feel _lazy._"

"For a given value of 'lazy', anyway," Kudo-kun murmured wryly, glancing pointedly back over his shoulder at Kaito's already-completed homework assignments for the following day—all of which had been assigned during classes.

Kaito only shrugged, "Now I don't have to do them later! Besides, you did yours, too."

Aoko looked over at Kudo-kun's desk and noted the truth of that. "Now _Aoko_ feels like the lazy one."

"Ignore their homework, Nakamori-chan," Hakuba-kun suggested. "They're too smart for this level of classwork, they just don't want to let the teachers know."

"… You're finished too, aren't you, Hakuba-kun?"

The British detective looked a bit bashful, "Not yet," he gestured to his half-finished chemistry assignment.

She'd started on hers, of course—there wasn't much to do at lunch if Kaito wasn't pranking everyone—but she wasn't quite as far along as he was. Still, that was better than getting Kaito to work on it with her when he was _already finished._ She plonked her book down on the desk on Hakuba's other side, "You're not much further than I am—want to work on it together?"

Hakuba-kun blinked, glanced at Kaito—who grinned—and shivered. "If you can keep Kuroba from doing anything unpleasant to me for the duration."

Kaito blinked at that, "…I actually wasn't planning to. If you ask her on a date, I might change my mind, but homework is normal friend activity. Which you _need_, Hakuba."

Aoko took a moment to unravel that and came up with Kaito _approving_ of her hanging out with Hakuba-kun. Huh. That was… _weird._

Then again, Hakuba-kun and Kaito had been getting along better since Kudo-kun showed up, so maybe they were actually friends now. Not that Kaito would be likely to admit it. Either way, Hakuba-kun wasn't a bad person, and, now that she thought about it, he really _could_ use more friends.

Well. That settled that! Aoko was going to be Hakuba-kun's friend!

_xxxx_

_*The dormouse is a reference to one of the DC specials (16 Suspects), where Conan gave evidence against said dormouse. As it was, he was covering for Hattori, who'd dropped the bottle on accident. (Incidentally, it wasn't even the actual expensive wine, but a replacement planted by Sonoko as a prank—or she _claimed_ it was as a prank, anyway.)_


	45. Chapter 44

_Well, here! Have a chapter! I worked really hard to get this one written in a timely manner. Still kind-of slow, as chapters go, but it gets something taken care of._

**_Chapter 44_**

Kaito sighed, less dejected than tired. "So it is?"

Shinichi glanced down at a long list of figures, names both real and fake, _bank accounts_ both real and fake, and a few not-quite-fake business names that they had learned to watch out for in that life-that-wasn't. "It really does look like it, yes. This is… actually, this is enough for admission to a court of law as evidence. We'll have to keep this. It's probably a good idea to get Momoi-san to find a new job, though. We can get her an excuse if we have to, but I'm sure her coworkers have noticed she's stressed, even though she hasn't told them why."

Kaito nodded, "Set up an appointment?"

"Invite Momoi-chan and her mother over for dinner, as well as Hakuba and Aoko. Leave an open invitation for Nakamori-keibu—if he shows up, fine, but he'll probably be busy. Hakuba can bring his Baaya if she wants to come."

"Less risk, and with more than one 'adult', no suspicion, either—Keiko's dad _is_ still out of the country, after all," Kaito nodded approvingly.

"Yeah, where did he go, anyway?"

"I think he's still stuck on an extended business trip in America. It was supposed to be six months, but I don't remember when it started." Kaito grinned, "Keiko said he complained about the time out-of-country for a week when he got home, last time."

Shinichi shook his head slightly, a smile quirking one corner of his mouth briefly, "Either way, let's extend the invitation tomorrow. Can you track down Momoi-san's schedule for this week?"

Kaito grinned, "Who do you think you're talking to?"

_xxxx_

"Hakuba-kun," Shinichi greeted as he and Kaito fell in next to the blond a block before the school, "We've found enough on that fraud/embezzlement case you handed over to us to confirm that it _is_ Them. We're going to do a blanket invite of the Momois, Nakamoris, and you and Baaya for dinner on Thursday. Really, we just need to advise Momoi-san to get out of that place while she can—what she does with the advice is her own choice, but we need to say something."

"Do you have evidence?" Hakuba asked, almost unheard over the hiss of a white noise generator that Shinichi and Kaito each carried one of.

"For this? Yes, but if we let them know we're on to them by bringing it to court, we'll both be either running or dead before the week's out. We need to get enough to bring the heads and the assassins down and that_,_ we _don't_ have."

Irony: They actually knew who the heads were. The _assassins,_ though—they knew who some of the longest-active were, but most didn't have much in the way of life-expectancy. _This_ time's assassins, they only knew a few of.

Calvados had been an assassin, but that's _all_ they had on him. Shinichi hadn't even seen his face. Vermouth, of course, and Chianti. Gin was actually more of a general strong-arm, but he had no problem with assassination, though he wasn't really much of a sniper, comparatively. Korn would be coming active, soon, and there was Pisco, still. Irish, and since Pisco _was_ still around, the man probably didn't have his hatred of Gin, yet. Which actually was the same reasoning Chianti had for hating Vermouth—that had been because Calvados had died under Vermouth's assignment, hadn't it? So, she'd be willing to work _with_ Vermouth, and without constantly looking for an excuse to kill the disguise expert.

And there was that serial killer, Namabuchi. No codename—and Shinichi had been fed the APTX only days before the madman had gotten away from them. Presuming he had escaped them this time, which he may not have. Shinichi hadn't heard about serial killings in the Osaka area, but he also hadn't been looking. Namabuchi's insanity had the Org not actively trying to track him down—people didn't believe paranoid schizophrenics when they spoke of orders to kill, at least not in the literal manner.

The madness didn't make him any less dangerous, though. You knew it was bad when the _Black Organization_ was going to use one of its own as a poison's test-subject because he was too _violent._

… although… he hadn't hurt Mitsuhiko, had he? So… he had a soft spot for small children and fireflies. Possibly small animals, considering that.

Weird.

"Oi, Shin-chan, get out of your head. We're at school, already."

Huh. So they were.

_xxxx_

They'd brought over the spare table from the Kudo mansion's attic, it being large enough for everyone. Nakamori-keibu had made no promises—police work would come as it did—but he wasn't actively scheduled to work Thursday evening, so Shinichi planned out a meal for eight. Kaito (naturally) planned dessert.

Shinichi was a perfectly capable cook, according to himself. According to Kaito, he was '_awesome_', and if his propensity to stumble over dead bodies ever died down, he should open a restaurant. Shinichi had long since made sure that Kaito was at least competent, but most of their more involved meals had Kaito wielding the cutlery and Shinichi actually mixing the ingredients.

(Shinichi had gotten to be at least semi-competent with kitchen-cutting, but Kaito managed to make a production out of chopping vegetables quickly and uniformly. It was more entertaining _and_ ended up looking better in the long run.)

After some serious consideration, Shinichi had decided on an Italian chicken-and-pasta setup and Kaito decided to do cannoli, anisette cookies, and something he found a recipe for online called 'meatball cookies' that's name sounded significantly worse than the ingredient list, which mainly involved chocolate and spices. (Personally, Shinichi thought three different desserts was overdoing it a bit, but Kaito insisted that it was a good idea because then they'd be more likely to have something for everyone, even if one of them didn't like one or two of the choices. Shinichi expected that he just wanted to have cookies available for a few days. Incidentally, Shinichi turned out to be right, but Kaito didn't end up being _entirely_ wrong.)

Aoko, Keiko, and their respective invited parents showed up early—likely because Aoko was planning to help in the kitchen, probably not trusting the boys' culinary skills—and Kaito let them in with a frilly white apron (his mother's) on and a relatively clean spatula in-hand. He pouted at the group as a whole. "Come on, Aoko—I'm good in the kitchen!"

The sound his best female friend made was distinctly skeptical.

There was a very familiar chuckle behind him, and he turned the pout in Shinichi's direction. Shinichi ignored it aside from a slight shake of his head to go with a smile, "It took some training, but he's actually quite helpful. Kaito's not a half-bad cook when he puts his mind to it, and he's much better with prep-work than I am."

"I'll have to see it to believe it," Aoko decided after a moment of dubious consideration.

Kaito turned his pout on Aoko, but Shinichi only shrugged. "I'm sure you'll be able to see the kitchen from the dining room, if you really want to watch."

Kaito pouted more intensely, "Shinichi!"

"What? It'd be proof," the detective waved dismissively before dodging back into the kitchen.

"… Sometimes I forget about the detective tendency to present proof."

Keiko snickered as her mother hid a smile and Kaito waved the group as a whole further into the house, "Sorry, we're not quite ready for you, yet. And Hakuba will be _exactly_ on time, knowing him, so… there's a couple board games out on the table in the living room and the snacks are almost ready. Think you guys can entertain yourselves or should I come up with something else?"

Keiko, Aoko, and Nakamori-keibu all had the same response to that, "We'll be fine!"

Kaito grinned and made his way back to the oven to check on the snacks. (He was pretty sure Shinichi would have corrected him on his choice of terms if they really had been the sixteen-year-olds the date and their young bodies said they were, because the strange little spinach and feta in phyllo dough creations called 'Turkish cigars' were a _pain_ to make and really more of an entertaining pre-meal distraction than actual, filling food. As it was, there were very few things that Kaito could say or do that Shinichi wouldn't just take in stride.)

_xxxx_

Hakuba and Baaya showed up at exactly six-thirty, as expected. Hakuba handed over a bottle of fruit cider—the same brand as Shinichi had provided to the Nakamoris when they'd invited Kaito and him over to dinner though a different flavor—and Kaito rolled his eyes but echoed Shinichi's thanks with his own, managing to heavily imply 'unnecessary' by inflection alone.

Shinichi thwapped him with a thin paperback on etiquette that he'd called from the upstairs bookshelf and Baaya hid a smile while Hakuba grinned outright. "Very appropriate choice of corrective tool, there."

Shinichi shrugged, "He knows the rules well enough to pass as royalty, if he ever bothered to follow them. Come in, come in—dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes. The others have taken to playing Monopoly in the living room—I don't even want to know where Kaito found it, it's _clearly_ an American board—and they could probably use help with translations, if you feel like heading in that direction. Kaito is hereby banished back to the kitchen," Shinichi paused to eye is husband, who saluted mockingly before poofing away in pale blue smoke, "in what is a blatant attempt to keep him from falling prey to his near-instinctive reaction of 'Hakuba! Formality! Must Prank!'"

Hakuba half-smiled, half-winced. "I thank you for the effort."

"Also, Momoi-san seems a bit overwhelmed by the… _enthusiasm_ going on around the game. From what I hear, Baaya-san, you are formidable in your own right—would you care to take over her place in the game for a while? I think she might like a bit of a break. I can make her a cup of tea."

Nakamori's bitten-off curse was answered immediately by Aoko-san shouting at her father and Baaya gave a determined smile, "That is a wonderful idea, Kudo-san. I do believe I'll ask if she would mind…"

Shinichi nodded, "I'd best get back to the kitchen myself. Tell me if you need anything."

_xxxx_

In the end, Baaya reigned supreme over Monopoly (Hakuba had wisely not taken the invitation to be a late starter, probably having known quite well what his housekeeper/former nanny was going to do to the game) and dinner was served. The group as a whole was duly impressed with Shinichi's cooking and Kaito's baking—and the whole affair managed to get Momoi Asuka's* mind off the whole 'large-scale criminal cover-up' going on at her workplace.

(She still assured them she would talk to her husband about going back to school. She had wanted to be a writer, but she'd never taken the courses to learn to write well. Her husband's job provided well enough that it wouldn't be unreasonable for her to try. It was a reason no one would question, which was a relief. Keiko's mother would be safer, that way.)

_xxxx_

_*I made up this name. I have looked, but I cannot find a name for Keiko's mother—does anyone know if she was ever even introduced in the manga? I've only seen the anime and read some basic summaries for the manga. Or father, for that matter? Or Baaya's actual name?_


	46. Chapter 45

_So. Chapter?_

**_Chapter 45_**

Kaito tossed his bag down beside his desk and flopped into his seat, folding his arms in an obvious fit of pique.

"What's the matter with you?" Aoko asked, half amused and half wary. Kudo-kun wasn't in the room yet and Hakuba-kun was hesitating in the doorway, probably wondering if it was safe to come closer.

"Kid hasn't sent out a note in _weeks!_ He hasn't even returned the last thing he took!"

"Aoko's dad has been complaining about that, too," Aoko admitted, considering. From what Kaito had told her—and eventually, her father—he actually had reason for the 'fangirling', as Kudo-kun called it. And, considering the now-verified snipers… well, Kaito was probably worried.

She couldn't really _hate_ Kaitou Kid anymore, since he was trying to get justice for Kaito's dad, but she couldn't help but still get angry for how much of _her_ dad's time he took. But. He wasn't _evil_. "The stupid thief's probably just planning something bigger than usual," Aoko declared, more to make Kaito feel better than actual belief of that. Kid didn't _not_ return things. He was strangely not greedy, for a thief. (Even if his last heist had been _really _weird_._ A book was strange enough, but a _Sherlock Holmes_ book was just _bizarre._)

Apparently, Hakuba decided it was an acceptable risk to sit down, because he made his way to his desk, though he kept a wary eye on Kaito. "I admit to having wondered about the long silence, myself."

Kaito didn't retort, which was a bit worrying. He just leaned back and turned his head towards the window with an disgruntled expression.

"He's probably just giving us more time to train up the Taskforce," Kudo-kun stated, stepping around Aoko's desk. She jumped, not having heard him come up behind her.

"Sorry, Nakamori-san, didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay," Aoko waved off the apology. "How's that going, anyway?"

Kaito brightened at the question, sitting up straight and launching into some stories that sounded less like 'train the Taskforce' and more like '_traumatize_ the Taskforce'.

"… I can't believe Tou-san is letting you do all that."

Kudo-kun shrugged, "They're actually really improving."

Well, if they were improving, then… that was good, right? And if _Kaito_ was in on it, it probably meant he wasn't worried about the Taskforce being dangerous to Kid, although that might be his fangirl talking. And if it _was_ his fangirl talking, then her dad was going to catch that thief sooner!

_xxxx_

"You," Shinichi informed Kaito dryly, leaning against the fence surrounding the high-school roof and utterly ignoring Hakuba (who was apparently really quite curious about the not-yet-returned book), "have _Nakamori Aoko_ quite conflicted on the issue of _Kaitou Kid_ right now."

Kaito fidgeted, looking a bit sheepish, "That actually wasn't my intent. I just wanted her to stop looking so _worried_ in my direction. The Kid thing just… happened to be background information."

"Thinking of," Shinichi frowned, "What was she worried about back then? I know _what_ you told her, but I never asked why_._"

"The cases," Kaito grimaced. "She knows how much I hate death."

"Ah," Shinichi had to grimace, too. His presence _did_ involve a lot of cases, but Kaito knew that Shinichi wouldn't hold it against him if he didn't stay each time. Kaito _also_ knew Shinichi hated all the death, too, and Kaito had held to his decision not to leave Shinichi to face it alone.

Shinichi was grateful for that.

Hakuba had gone from waiting quietly to looking uncomfortable, and Shinichi offered an apologetic shrug in the blond's direction.

Hakuba nodded back, then glanced around, hesitated, and shook his head. Instead of staying to ask whatever he'd been wanting to ask, he opened the roof door and headed back into the school.

"Huh," Kaito watched the other detective leave. "So he's not good with the whole 'serious moments' thing."

Shinichi half-shrugged, "Looks like not. That aside, I feel like I'm forgetting something important. Was there anything that happened that was big enough to draw your attention?"

Kaito shook his head, "Nothing unusual. I'll keep an eye out, but…"

Shinichi nodded, "Just… I think it was something to do with them, but I can't remember _what._ Everything's different."

"Damn," Kaito rubbed a hand through his perpetually messy hair, not actually making a visible difference. "Okay. I can send out the troops, but… well, no promises."

"I can't really ask for more than that," Shinichi pointed out. "Too little to go on."

Kaito grimaced, but didn't dispute the point. "Class?"

"Class," Shinichi agreed.

_xxxx_

Two days later, a bouncy Kaito on one side and a resigned Hakuba on the other, a large (read, a least two meter tall) man wearing a black duster-type jacket had realization hit like a slap in the face. The man crossing the street wasn't one of their unfriendly alcoholics—_that_ was a hard aura to miss, ever since Shinichi had learned what it felt like—but the visual was a reminder of a time before he'd known what to look for.

A game company doing a large-scale new-release party centered around a game that wouldn't be made, (Mouri Kogoro wasn't a Conan-made famous Sleeping Detective, and that made so many things change) and a man who _was_ one of Them. Half a phone conversation half-remembered; a report to Vodka, to be passed on to Gin. An explosion that wiped out the lead he'd wanted to track back, before he'd known the precautions he needed to take.

He'd dodged more than a bullet, when Tequila had died.

"Shinichi?" Kaito asked, no longer bouncing.

Hakuba looked concerned, too, "Is something wrong, Senpai?"

"Ah, not really, I just remembered something. It's been bugging me for a few days, that's all."

Kaito's eyes sharpened and his fingers moved in a quick question.

Shinichi nodded slightly, returning with a slightly more complex answer, _'Circumstances are too different. It won't—_can't_—be the same.'_

Kaito sighed, "Right. Okay, well-"

A scream from off to the side cut the comment short, and Shinichi groaned even as Kaito huffed.

"-there go our afternoon plans. Shinichi, maybe we really _should_ take you to see a miko."

Hakuba made a soft sound of agreement.

Shinichi sighed, "Tried that once," he grimaced, "It didn't… it was weird."

"Dare I ask?" Hakuba questioned as the three jogged in the direction of the scream.

"… she told me that it was 'important' that I follow the Shinigami*."

"… ah."

Yeah. 'Ah'. At least he was following Death, instead of death following him.

"Something _really_ wants you to run into all this," Kaito observed.

Shinichi grimaced acknowledgement and waved Hakuba forward onto the scene. At least he had remembered the Org-related occurrence. Maybe they could even track down Tequila—the guy had kicked _Conan,_ after all, and that had some disturbing connotations with general personality. Not to mention he had to be at least on a rank with Vodka, considering the tone he'd taken. Not exactly someone Shinichi wanted running loose.

But for now, there was a body in the parking garage, and someone was going to get arrested for it. The knife-wound was obvious even from the distance Shinichi stood at, and people couldn't knife themselves in the back at that angle.

(It was unfamiliar, though, so Shinichi would have to look properly. He couldn't risk arresting an innocent.)

_xxxx_

_*Shinigami—most literal translation: Death God. Something like the Grim Reaper. (Thanatos [Greek/Roman] and Anubis [Egyptian] serve similar functions, for those who are into mythology—Valkyrie [Norse] are more specialized, but have a less encompassing version of the same job. Crows and/or ravens are also attributed the 'soul-guide' status in some mythos [mainly-but-not-limited-to North American folklore]. Also, Death from the Discworld series, and if I were slightly more flighty in my writings, He'd appear. )_


	47. Chapter 46

.

**_Chapter 46_**

The remainder of the week passed largely uneventfully as Kaito had the 'troops' out looking for Tequila. Shinichi only stumbled over one more incidental murder, that one a 'repeat', which—not unexpectedly—had the effect of him being a little quieter than usual the next day.

Kaito made a point of not being _too_ flashy with his pranks, though he definitely also made point of making them cater more to Shinichi's sense of humor. As per usual, his tactic of cheering up his longtime partner was effective.

As Shinichi started helping Keiko with a physics problem she didn't understand, Kaito settled back to watch, a moment of nostalgia washing over him. He'd never been a _part_ of Shinichi's little group of tagalongs, but—even when the size of a six-year-old—Shinichi had been great with teaching and guiding the Shonen Tantei, great enough that Kaito had been happy to see them together every time he did. Those kids had loved Conan, loved and looked up to him _so much._ Shinichi had been to them largely what his own father had been to him when he'd been little, a better parent as a shrunken teen than the elder Kudos had ever been examples of.

"I want kids," he announced. He'd always wanted his own, and now he _really_ wanted to see Shinichi with them, too.

The entire class turned to stare at him, except for his husband in the seat in front of him. He got the distinct impression that Shinichi hadn't even batted an eye.

"While I both recognize and appreciate your desire for family, Kaito," Shinichi informed without turning, "we're a little young for adoption. Unless you have a secondary set of working parts that I don't know about, you're going to have to wait a few years."

Kaito froze, blinking twice as he tried to process that, ignoring the stifled sounds of surprised amusement from most of his classmates. That—definitely hadn't been a 'no', although the part in the middle was a bit at his own expense. "Did you just agree to have kids with me?"

Shinichi did turn at that, giving him a dryly sardonic look that implied better than any language that Kaito was one, an idiot for even having to ask; and two, an idiot for asking the way he had. So mostly just an idiot.

Kaito grinned brightly at him, "You're the absolute _best_ and I love you."

Shinichi blinked, then shrugged. "I like kids. You know this. I do, however, maintain that we're waiting a few years before adopting," the finger flick of 'if we live that long' was less encouraging, but a solid point.

Well, that was something to look forward to that Kaito decided they _had_ lo live for, all else aside. Not the way he'd expected to get a family when he'd first started dreaming of one as a true teen, but… he _wanted._ He nodded decisively, "Well. I can handle that, seeing as I can't have your babies."

The fact that Shinichi only nodded and turned back to the girl still standing beside his desk with a physics worksheet in hand (though not seeming aware of it, anymore) really said a lot about how inured to Kaito's antics he was. The entire rest of the class (Aoko especially) couldn't seem to decide whether to laugh or not.

Kaito decided to see how far he could push the situation before Shinichi gave in and whacked him with something. He pouted, "Don't look at me like that, Aoko! Why can't I want to have my husband's babies?"

Her half-question of "Because you're a guy…?" went barely noticed as Shinichi gave a barely audible sigh and shook his head.

"Can you imagine what our kids would be like if we _did_ have them?" Shinichi asked suddenly, twisting to face him again.

Gods, _yes_, he could. "Utterly terrifying," he agreed. "Even if we could, it'd probably be doing the world a favor if we adopt instead."

Shinichi _smirked_, "What? No surrogate?"

_There_ was an idea…

"I know you're married, but are you two seriously having this conversation in your high-school classroom?"

"Sorry, Sensei," Kaito grinned unrepentantly, but did settle back in his seat. His initial mission to cheer up Shinichi had been quite successful, if he did say so himself, and they may have just given themselves something else to fight for. Win-win!

_xxxx_

Hakuba wasn't sure he really wanted to head out to spend the afternoon with his senpai and Kuroba—the classroom conversation had left him feeling a bit awkward. Yes, he knew that Kudo and Kuroba were married, but the two didn't usually draw such blatant attention to the fact.

Aside from the rings, the easy way they interacted with each other could be shown by close friends or brothers. Talking about wanting children, making blatantly sexual half-quips, and Kuroba's declaration of love (which, to be fair, had been in the same sort of tone someone would use for gratitude for a great present or large-scale favor) had all added up to the most… well, _romantic_ he'd ever seen the two.

He really didn't want to end up in a 'third wheel' situation, but he _had_ already made the plans with them… Hakuba sighed and gathered his things. Kuroba in a mood was not what he wanted to deal with, either; and, judging by the grin, Kuroba was most definitely in a _mood_.

_x_

To Hakuba's relief, time proved that the mood was not what he'd feared (he was still the same colors he'd started out as, which was always a plus when dealing with Kuroba) and there really wasn't any further attention drawn towards the whole 'we're married' thing.

There was one question that he just couldn't quite get past, though, and finally Hakuba gave in and asked. "Why the classroom declaration, Kuroba?"

Kuroba seemed to give that some genuine consideration, "Well, I don't know. I've wanted a family for a really long time—to be to my kids what my dad was to me. With the whole 'married to Shinichi' thing… it didn't seem like it was going to happen. The other day, though, he helped out this kid in the park and then he had the same sort of look when he was helping Keiko with the physics homework and it just… came out, I guess."

He hadn't thought of that, for it to be so—Kuroba must have really loved his father, for the underlying reason to be something like that. He didn't know what to say.

Kudo shrugged, "I know how much Kaito has always valued family, _wanted_ family. He hasn't had much of it since... and I didn't either, really. I love my parents, and I know they love me, but… they aren't _good_ parents. We were always moving, and Mom's as flighty as a squirrel and Dad has always been… _distant._ They left me in the mansion in Beika when I was fourteen and come back for a few days a year, if I'm lucky. I've seen them for maybe two weeks in the past two and a half years, and that includes the week this year. I want a family, too—I _do_ like kids, and, while all this wasn't really in my original plans…"

Okay. So, maybe not romantic at all. Interesting.

"Everything's always been about family," Kuroba murmured, two cards flickering into and out of sight so quickly that Hakuba almost thought he'd imagined them. But no—Ace of Clubs and Ace of Spades. Kuroba—Black Feather, but Kid's love of puns probably made it _clover_, or the mark on the Suit of Clubs. The Spades were the Death Suit and the Ace the Death Card in a standard deck. A horrible sort of representation, but understandable for all of that. Kudo _did_ stumble on death far too often to not be acknowledged.

Kudo nodded slightly, and the Ace of Spades was in his hand, then the Ace of Clubs, then both. "We work with what we're given—and, as it turns out… there are far worse people to end up married to, than your best friend."

That was true. And… it wouldn't be _family, _but… "Would you two like to come over for dinner? If I give Baaya warning now, she would probably be happy to cook for four."

Kuroba blinked twice before grinning, "Aw, Haku-chan! You _are_ getting to be friendly!"

Hakuba grimaced. He was _already_ regretting the offer.

_xxxx_

Five hours later, they got an alert flight pattern from one of the camera doves, setting off a quiet alarm and rousting them both out of late-evening lethargy. They'd had two false alarms so far—both on the man that had initially reminded Shinichi of Tequila—but every alert required checking.

And, this time… "That's him," Shinichi confirmed. "We should keep the doves back pretty far; he seems the type to kill them."

Kaito nodded and set about getting another dove to pass on the order.

Another three hours of watching (and recording) and Shinichi sat up straight. "That's Korn," he informed, surprised. Korn looked pretty different, younger. And he was holding himself _significantly_ less confidently. "… I think Chianti's old partner was killed last time, and I don't know what Calvados was to her, but Korn got partnered up with her on a general basis because they were both really good long-distance snipers… but Tequila had died last month that time and… well. I don't know anymore."

Kaito nodded, "I'll tag him as a dove-watch, too, but we're going to have to start watching _areas_ or they'll catch on to being followed, doves or no doves."

Shinichi nodded. "Yeah, and we don't want Kid getting _more_ attention from them. They're letting Snake bumble around because Kid's useful to them and not an _active_ threat, so far as they know. If they see anything that makes them change their minds, it'll be Chianti again, or someone like her."

And they'd never see the bullet coming, not in Tokyo.

Kaito nodded, "They seem pretty comfortable where they're at. There might be a Bar around…"

"Search the area, maybe? I don't want it to be obvious that the birds are there for them."

A soft hum agreed with that and it wasn't long before a few doves were melding in with the pigeons already there. If there was anything to find, those doves would find it. Kaito had always had scarily smart birds.

_xxxx_


	48. Chapter 47

_Okay, so, I think these things needed to be addressed, moreso because one can only ignore certain kinds of trauma for so long before the signs build enough to be noticeable, and only so much longer after that before it gets to be too much._

_Also, it's hard to tell what will set you off, if there is a trauma or grief that hasn't truly healed.  
_

_(Side note: I posted a oneshot a bit outside of the character focus I've been using in all my other fics, but it isn't a Shin/Ran. I felt the appalling relationship in canon had very few plausible explanations or possible positive outcomes, and decided to address it on a bunny.)_

**_Chapter 47_**

"Kudo-san and Kuroba-kun?" the sudden interruption of their math class was a bit unexpected, especially by a somewhat nervous-looking office aide.

Shinichi frowned, and Kaito tilted his head in a quiet concern. "Hai, Mikoro-san?"

Of course Kaito would know the office aides by name. Then again, Kaito probably knew everyone in the school by name.

"There's a call for you at the office… I think it's Kudo-san's mother?"

Shinichi rubbed his forehead, "Well, this is either going to be really bad or utterly ridiculous."

Kaito gave a half-smile, "Right. I'm going to hope for the second."

"Well, you two had better go," their current teacher sighed.

Not really able to disagree with that, both of them got up to follow the aide.

_xxxx_

Hakuba frowned as the door clicked shut behind their classmates, concerned. Had something happened to Kudo's father? If it was his mother calling…

Well. There was nothing he could do without even knowing what was going on.

Despite knowing that, it was difficult for him to focus on the lesson as class resumed, and Hakuba found himself watching the clock a bit more than he had been lately in his unease. He was counting milliseconds again.

It was only that he'd started to that had him realize he'd _stopped_ tracking time quite so closely under Kudo and Kuroba's dueled influence, unless there was something that needed to be recorded—specifically, case-related timestamps.

That… bore some thinking about. But not in class.

Fourteen minutes and eighteen seconds—he was _not_ going to think on it more accurately than that, he _wasn't_—later, Kudo opened the classroom door with Kuroba behind him, scowling fiercely.

"… Is everything all right, Kudo-san?" Ise-sensei asked warily.

Kuroba grinned at the woman from over Kudo's shoulder, "Just Yukiko-san being her usual ridiculous self."

Hakuba hesitated, glanced at the teacher, and gave a mental shrug. "I'm almost afraid to ask, but… what does that mean?"

"She called to relate, in _great_ detail, the itinerary for our honeymoon trip as she has decided it," Kudo stated in a manner that implied excessive familiarity with similar antics.

"While you're at _school?_" Nakamori-chan asked incredulously.

Kudo sighed, making his way back to his seat with clear irritation. "It's _Kaa-san._ I suppose I should just be grateful she didn't show up in disguise toting a gun. Last time, she knocked me out with chloroform from behind and I woke up bound and gagged in the basement of a house she bought just for that crazy stunt. I thought she was an escaped murderer out for revenge."

Suddenly Kudo's ability to take Kuroba's antics completely in stride made a lot of sense.

"I remember that," Kuroba mused. "It took me three days to find you. _I_ thought she was a psycho killer, especially after she started shooting. I think I still have that scar on my shoulder."

"She only did it to draw you out. Why do you think I insisted on _not_ telling my parents we'd stayed in contact?"

"She _shot_ me!"

Kudo shrugged as the rest of the class, Hakuba included, just kind of stared. "She's shot me, too. It's not like she aims to kill," a slight pause, then an afterthought, "Or even maim, really."

Kuroba snorted, "And how many cracked ribs have you suffered during 'dodging practice', again? Vest or no, bullets don't exactly feel nice when they connect."

Kudo's hand raised to press against his chest in what looked like an involuntary motion as he grimaced, "Yes, I'm well aware. But I wouldn't have made it this long without that practice, and we both know it."

Kuroba hesitated, then dipped his head with a grimace of his own, clearly conceding the point. "Well. Most of the time she's just the fun kind of crazy. It's psycho-mama-bear-mode that's scary." There was a pause, then Kuroba actually _blanched,_ although Hakuba was beginning to understand the sentiment.

"Oh, _Inari._ She's my _mother-in-law,_ now."

"… it took you this long to realize that?"

Hakuba was starting to wonder if he should report Kudo as abused. The woman had seemed stable when he'd seen her and Kudo-san at the hospital, but the bits of classroom conversation he'd heard indicated a dangerous set of habits, to say the least.

Although there _was_ the possibility that they were exaggerating on purpose for the sake of the class. Hakuba distinctly remembered Kuroba complaining of Kudo's pranks being more subtle and mind-bending than his own. He believed the wording had been 'your pranks involve inducing psychosis in your targets'.

He should probably ask. It was _really_ going to bother him to not know.

_xxxx_

"Hm? Oh, well… only kinda?" Kaito offered to the British teen.

Hakuba graced that with a raised eyebrow.

"Kaa-san pulled a gun on him, all right, but it was loaded with blanks. The scar's from one of our… _fans._"

"Ah," Hakuba frowned, "And the comment on cracked ribs?"

Shinichi winced, "There _is_ dodge training. We use real guns, but the ammunition is modified. The first few attempts to make handgun-sized paint bullets were a bit too hard. It took a few tries to render them mostly harmless. I doubt one of the early types would have penetrated far even without the vest, but it _definitely_ would have left a mark, and a hit in the wrong place could have been bad."

Hakuba's frown wavered in a way that had Kaito think he wasn't sure whether that was better or worse.

To be fair, at the time (which hadn't happened, yet, and maybe they should tell Yukiko about this conversation) _Kaito_ hadn't been too pleased, either. Shinichi had mostly brushed it off, and three months later, Yukiko had been killed, so… yeah. He hadn't thought about it much in a while. Thinking about it had _stung._

It stung less, now, with Yukiko alive, and the sting was more an lingering ache for memories gone than the worry and pain for Shinichi having lost his mother at the hands of the Black. It hadn't been long before his mother had been followed by his father, then the Mouri family. Years before Jii, then not long _after_ Jii was the loss of Agasa and Haibara in one horrible night. Then Nakamori-keibu, as Aoko had screamed and screamed and _screamed,_ that night's heist turning into a bloodbath with many of the taskforce gunned down even as Kaito had been bleeding out as Kid, trying to draw the fire away from those who'd lived.

(She'd thought Kaito was dead, by then, because he'd faked his death long before, and Hakuba had died another year before _that_. But he'd gone to the funeral, and when he'd seen Aoko standing there, Keiko hugging her as she'd cried, he'd set a white rose twined with coltsfoot and marigold* on the alter, a note with only his hand-drawn caricature on it.

Aoko had spotted it within minutes, and Kaito had sent a dove after her, watched as she'd gone to the library and looked up what he'd said. For the first time he'd ever seen, she had smiled at the thought of his nighttime persona, soft and trembling, and whispered _encouragement_ to Kaitou Kid. _"I hope you get them,"_ she had said. And, more heartbreakingly, _"Thank you for trying."_

Whether it had been for the declared intent or for that he had tried to draw the bullets away from the police, he didn't know, but it had been horrible all the same.

"Kaito?"

He blinked, shaking off dark thoughts. "Sorry. Just…" he wasn't going to finish that out loud in front of Hakuba. _'Remembering.'_

Shinichi nodded slightly, his own fingers moving in return. _'We're changing things.'_

Indeed they were. "Yeah. And… it was only a nightmare, after all."

Shinichi smiled, wry. "Sometimes, nightmares are hard to shake off… but at least they aren't real when you wake."

And—that _did_ make that future/past that wasn't a nightmare, didn't it? They'd woken, and it wasn't _real._ Not anymore.

"Nightmares?" Hakuba asked, voice edged with concern.

"They happen," Shinichi sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "After you see enough… sometimes it's hard to _stop_ seeing. It helps that I'm not living alone in that house anymore, though, and… well, I'm not the only one who has trouble sleeping sometimes."

"Shinichi's are worse than mine, I think," Kaito admitted. "After all… I was the one who died in his arms," Twice over, at that, though Shinichi had been dying, too, that first time when he'd truly lost his hold on life. "Bad enough that I've seen him hurt, but… at least he was still breathing."

Hakuba jolted, "_What?_"

"You didn't know?" Shinichi asked, a little surprised, but tone heavy with memory. "When Kaito was poisoned—he was clinically dead for over ten minutes. If they hadn't _listened_ when I'd explained…"

"They did, though," Kaito reached out to tug Shinichi to him, catching his hand to pull it to his own chest. He'd needed that reassurance after Shinichi's heart had stopped during the reversion to himself, only Haibara's quick action forcing it to work again, and Shinichi'd been dead for less than a minute. Sometimes he still found himself having to check as he woke from nightmares—they were a simple fact of life, now. "They listened, and they did as you said, and I'm _here_."

Hakuba looked a little pale, "I didn't realize it had been that bad. I thought he'd been at the hospital in time to…"

Shinichi shook his head, fingers curling briefly into the cloth above Kaito's heart, "No. I… try not to think about it. It was… _close._"

Hakuba swallowed. "I see. I…" he hesitated, clearly at a loss, and his phone buzzed. Frowning, he pulled it out to check the text, then huffed in something that sounded more like relief than exasperation. "Sorry, it's my father. He wants me over at the station."

Kaito waved dismissively, "Go on, then. I think Shin-chan and I need a coffee break, anyway."

Kaito wasn't really sorry to see Hakuba go. They hadn't talked about that day, not really, and while Kaito had suspected the content of the more recent nightmares, Shinichi hadn't done as he still found himself doing, hadn't pressed a hand down over a heart to check that it still beat.

Idiot detective was probably trying not to worry him. That was one habit of Shinichi's that Kaito hadn't quite managed to break. Looked like it was time for another try. (He'd gotten him out of trying to hide poor physical health, though, even if it _had_ taken three years.)

At least they had a break coming up. Canada this time of year _was_ supposed to be lovely, if cold, and there was no reason for the Black to be tracking them, this time.

_xxxx_

_*White rose: Purity_

_*Coltsfoot: a declaration—'Justice will be done'_

_*Marigold: Grief, despair. Together intended as a recognition of purity of purpose and grief of loss as well as a promise to bring justice to those who had killed._

_xxxx_


	49. Chapter 48

_Have a filler chapter! As in, episode-ish style! Only without me having detailed a case. Also, next chapter is the beginning of the Canada trip! Rejoice!_

**_Chapter 48_**

_And of course_, Kaito thought to himself in the tiny hours of the morning as he felt Shinichi jerk upright beside him, a low cry catching in his throat (they'd been sharing the bed so long it felt like second nature, and doing so usually kept the worst of the nightmares at bay); _the talk _would_ hurt as much as help._

Shinichi hadn't woken so suddenly or noisily in months, and whether that was a bad thing or not wasn't entirely clear. Of course, no nightmares would be awesome, but Kaito wasn't so naïve as to think that still and silent meant 'peaceful'. Not with Shinichi, anyway, and not with himself, either, if he were honest.

But the cutoff of that cry—an abort of Kaito's own name, he was sure, so… "Right here, Shinichi," he murmured, catching the closest shaking hand to tug his husband sideways.

Unprepared for the sudden pull, Shinichi toppled across his chest with a startled 'whuff' of exhale.

"Oof," Kaito informed in return, having not calculated the angle before the impulsive gesture. Still, he wrapped both arms around his sideways Shinichi and hauled him up to where his weight wasn't squishing his diaphragm. "Hi."

Shinichi craned his neck to eye Kaito backwards, clearly having been startled the rest of the way out of his nightmare. "Hello?"

Kaito loosened his grip just enough to let Shinichi flip himself over so he wouldn't have to strain his spine, "Feel better?"

There was a slight pause, then Shinichi huffed. "… yes."

Kaito nodded, "All right then. Goodnight." He flopped his own head deeper into his pillows and closed his eyes.

"Kaito?" Shinichi squirmed a bit, and Kaito made a point of not letting him up, though he did guide the attempts to land Shinichi in a more comfortable position.

"You're staying right there," Kaito informed him, "and you're going back to sleep."

Shinichi huffed again, softer, but relaxed in his hold. His breathing evened after several more minutes and Kaito let himself doze back off as well once he was satisfied that Shinichi was actually sleeping.

They could both use some actual rest before the trip. Just because there was no reason for the Black to know what they were up to was no excuse to get careless.

(Besides which, one of the places they were going could well bring about the return of the nightmares they'd shared for months upon 'waking'. Best to at least go into that well-rested.)

_xxxx_

Shinichi blinked awake, one shoulder only slightly stiff from the awkward position (which would have been painfully locked, not six months before. Teen bodies were wonderfully tolerant of just about any sleeping position and required far less active stretching to stay limber), but feeling refreshed for all of that.

He raised his head away from the steady heartbeat beneath his ear, just enough to look at the clock. Which would be going off in less than two minutes, so he sighed and rolled himself upright, pre-emptively turning it off.

He glanced back at a blinking Kaito and deemed the level of consciousness good enough, standing and moving to grab his uniform before heading to the shower. Ten minutes later, hair damp but otherwise ready, he headed downstairs to make breakfast while Kaito took over the bathroom.

Two more days, and then break. Or, break from school, anyway. Shinichi had yet to get anything that resembled a break from everything else. But, hey, who knew? They might get lucky.

_xxxx_

School passed as peacefully as was possible with a healthy and reasonably happy Kuroba Kaito attending; though, once again, after school had Shinichi and those with him—Kaito, Aoko, Koizumi (he hadn't asked and wasn't _going_ to), and Hakuba—walked past a storefront just as someone inside screamed.

Shinichi flicked his fingers at Kaito, who nodded, before darting into the store to look for the source of the scream. The magician would keep Aoko and hopefully Koizumi out of it while he and Hakuba dealt with whatever was wrong.

Probably a murder. Again.

… or not quite?

On checking, the woman who'd screamed _had_ found a victim, but the man still had a pulse and, while his breathing was shallow enough to be hard to discern, he _was_ breathing. "Hakuba, _ambulance!_"

Scene later, victim now. No severe external bleeding, obvious head injury, obvious neck injury, possible spinal injury, no obvious signs of poisoning. Shinichi relayed the information as Hakuba talked to the emergency dispatch, flipping open his own phone to dial 110. The woman was not-_quite_-hyperventilating, but she wasn't going to be any use on a phone line with breathing that stuttered. Considering the fact that he could see how dilated her eyes were from where he knelt, Shinichi was inclined to think she wasn't faking. Also, she was tiny. The likelihood of her being the one to have inflicted the injuries was quite low.

"This is Kudo Shinichi, I'm in the supermarket on the corner of fifth and Maple in Ekoda, across from the children's play-park. No death yet, there's an ambulance on its way but the victim's not looking good. I can't risk moving him to look for an ID; it's obvious that his neck is injured. Not likely that the assailant is still in the store, but this is definitely a crime scene." Familiar, too, but in the 'I read about that' way instead of the 'I solved that' way. He had half a second to recognize that when the man's hands twitched.

"Shit! Hakuba! Help me keep him still!" Normally that was a bad idea, but what he remembered of the report had the cause of death be a result of seizing with loose bone splinters in his neck. His spinal cord hadn't been severed, but a bone shard had shredded through several things it _really_ shouldn't have in the other direction, and he'd ended up dying from it.

A _twist_ of will and he had the man's head, neck, and shoulders immobilized further than physical restraint could account for, but most would overlook that. Hakuba might notice, but he would know better than to mention.

"I thought you weren't supposed to restrain during a seizure!" Hakuba was pinning the man's arms and chest as best he could anyway after Shinichi's command, but the implied question was obvious.

"You're not, but there's something _visibly_ wrong with the vertebrae in his neck—him moving it would be worse," Shinichi cast about, eyes picking through the bystanders for someone with a store nametag. "You—Yoshi-san! There's a group out in front of the store, two girls and a boy, one of the girls with red hair. Tell the boy that we need him in here."

Kaito would be able to help Shinichi hold the immobilization, and while Koizumi also had the power to, she wasn't very good at working with others. Nor invested in saving lives, for that matter—when she wasn't malicious, she tended to be apathetic. (And that was definitely 'when' not 'while'. There were times when she _was_ malicious, and she spoke of herself as though she was greater than human. She'd mostly grown out of that, eventually, but this was the young and frankly selfish teen Koizumi, not the more prudent Akako-san who had helped them learn.)

_xxxx_

Another three hours and the verdict was that the man would live. Until he woke—which would likely be three to four days, as they were keeping him unconscious via chemical for at least three, though four was possible, depending on relative speed of recovery—they wouldn't know how much (if anything) he remembered.

Aoko and Koizumi had found what they believed was the assault weapon, though, and considering the slightly bloody fingerprints…

It was unlikely that the case would remain unsolved for long, even without the victim's input. From the look of the smudges on the handle in the picture Aoko had sent to Shinichi's phone, Kaito was willing to bet whoever had done it _had_ been wearing gloves—specifically, thin latex ones. Those could transfer a fingerprint under quite a few circumstances, and people wearing gloves didn't usually think to check or wipe prints away.

So, they had the victim's name and the weapon with through-glove prints, which meant that even if the prints weren't already on record, the police would go through and print his acquaintances until they got a match. Simple.

After they got a match, they would be able to get a motive, and that would take care of that. Without anyone having died! Kaito spared a moment to thank every god he knew, because this kind of reprieve would have Shinichi sleeping far more easily the night of, every time. And there were only two more nights before the big trip, so Kaito was starting to have hopes. He was careful not to think what they were in any detail, because that was just _asking_ for something to thwart those hopes, but he couldn't help that they were there.

_xxxx_


	50. Chapter 49

_Okay, well, I'm alive. Still pretty worn down, and not recovered yet, but-somewhat better. Not sure how long it will _last,_ mind. This may not be life-threatening, but it is looking to be long-term, if not more-or-less permanent. I'll do my best to give you at least semi-regular updates, but I make no promises._

**_Chapter 49_**

Kaito had grimaced but Shinichi had only sighed when the news came back that the man had died in the hospital. It hadn't been a _surprise, _really, but he'd dared to hope. When Shinichi had said that had been a case he'd only _read _about instead of one he'd stumbled on and worked before, he'd hoped that meant it would be different.

Apparently not. Immediate death and fate 'locks', he supposed, like Akako had said. Of course, hearing that the man likely would have been completely paralyzed even if he had lived made it a little less tragic—but only a little. He'd been an athlete, specifically a runner, and marathons were his _life._ That he wouldn't have been able to run any more would likely have broken the man's heart, but if he'd still been alive he could have found a new passion. That was the thing about being alive—you could _do_ things, no matter how limited you might be.

But. Well. A lot of people would feel like a burden, if they had to rely on others for too much. That… _that_ was a bad feeling.

A hand swatting the back of his head broke him out of his downward thought-spiral. "Stop it, Kaito. We did what we could, but that was a bad situation all around. Don't brood; the murderer's behind bars and his family loved him and will miss him. There's not much more someone can ask for, in cases like this."

Kaito pouted at his husband, "I can't help it! There's nothing for me to _do_ up here!"

'Up here' was on a trans-continental flight. They'd swap planes in Beijing and again in Astana and Moscow, then another swap in London before the trans-Atlantic jump to Canada. Then there would be three shorter hops before they got close enough to Ainsworth to rent a car.

It would have been shorter to cross the Pacific, but that wasn't much of a theme with passenger flights.

"Take a nap," Shinichi advised dryly.

Kaito gave him a _look._

"Yeah, didn't think so. How about plot what you're going to do to Hakuba when we get home?"

Kaito had a brief thought of the work of chaotic art he could create with well over a day of travel-time to plan out the details. "And you won't stop me when we see him again?"

"So long as you don't do anything genuinely mind-breaking."

A few details in his mental image adjusted accordingly. "I can work with that."

_xxxx_

The six-hour layover in Astana turned out to be a blessing—they probably wouldn't miss their next flight. Shinichi groaned when someone screamed, then pushed his way over and flashed his ID. It wasn't anything official, as such, but Megure had managed to get him one printed as a consultant with the Japanese Police, which gave his words a bit of weight even outside the country when someone bothered to read the thing.

But he hadn't been kidding when he'd said his Russian was terrible. He could get by, but he was as bad as Kaito's English had been when he'd been a true teen. Still, it wasn't long until he picked apart enough of the evidence to have a solid starting point, even without knowing what everyone was saying, and when the local police arrived, he moved over to talk to them.

An apology and some badly accented Russian later, and one of them asked for English. Shinichi breathed out, "Thank you," he replied in the partially-Germanic language. English was interesting in being about half Germanic and half Latin-based, which was why non-native speakers generally found it so hard to learn. "I'm much better with English."

The man tilted his head at him, "You have an identification that looks like it is part of the Japanese PD. You are young—why do you have it?"

The words were stilted but clear; this man didn't speak English to others often, but stayed in practice. "I'm a consultant. I'm not an official part of the force, but Megure-keibu of Tokyo's Division One thought it would make things easier for me when I was in other parts of Japan. Many don't take someone my age seriously, but the ID will at least get them to call for confirmation that it's authentic, and Megure can usually bark some sense into the idiots."

The man nodded, "A sound strategy. You say you have some things that are evidence?"

Shinichi nodded and moved back towards the scene, pointing out what he'd noticed. "I'm afraid that with my Russian being what it is, I couldn't ask questions, so I don't have as much as I would like, but so far…" So far, it really looked like the man in the red-trimmed black greatcoat had done it. Which, okay, Russia, winter—the greatcoat was understandable.

The officer nodded slowly, "I recognize that man. He is wanted for smuggling," a sharp gesture brought two other officers forward towards the man in question, who snarled and pulled a weapon.

A _gun._

Shouts, snarls, _gunshots_—and Shinichi signaled Kaito even as he moved himself, the police forced back with the spray of random fire.

One second, two—and a flash of glitter into the man's face. He stalled, hands coming up to protect his eyes in an instinctive motion and Shinichi tackled him. The man was a good three times his size, but Shinichi had advantages—and then Kaito was hitting him with the duct-tape.

Glitter and duct tape weren't controlled on flights, and they were limited in what they could advertise before the police without getting into trouble.

Russian curses spilled from the man's mouth and the police rushed forward to take advantage of the fact that he was down. The one who'd been speaking with Shinichi wasn't the only one looking impressed, but he _was_ the only one to approach. "You and your brother—you are very good. I can see why the police in Tokyo would recognize you."

Shinichi straightened, "Thank you. Oh, and he's not my brother—a common mistake, I grant you, but Kaito and I actually aren't blood-related." He didn't mention they were married—it was unlikely to get too unpleasant, but he didn't think Russia was as open to such things as Japan. He hadn't spent a lot of time there, so he _might_ be wrong, but it would be better not to stir things up.

The man's eyebrows went up a little, "Oh? How interesting. My name is Kirk Kanvaki. What are yours?"

"I'm Shinichi Kudo and he's Kaito Kuroba—and it feels strange to order our names like that," Shinichi grimaced.

Kaito nodded agreement, "Family should always come first."

Kanvaki snorted, a smile quirking his lips upward. "Is that the reason for the order of your names? I can respect that. Ah," he glanced over at a particularly vicious set of sounds from the duct-taped man, "He has admitted to killing the victim. Rather—_violently_ admitted, with declarations that he should have done worse. This did not take long, but there is paperwork that must be filled. You are travelling, yes? How long before your next flight?"

Kaito glanced at a clock, "Five hours."

"Come with me, then. I will have you back in three."

_xxxx_

Kaito was about ready to cause some sparkly mayhem by the time they actually landed for the last time—until the trip back, anyway. At least there had only been the one murder.

"We should get to the hotel," Shinichi murmured. "Then we can find a place to let off some of your energy and follow up with a proper meal."

Kaito nodded agreement and acquired their suitcases without ever approaching the baggage claim—which earned some surprised sounds from people looking in their direction. Shinichi rolled his eyes, "_Magicians,_" he sniped.

"_Detectives,_" Kaito mimicked, also in English.

"Hey, I'm almost as good as you at magic," Shinichi pointed out.

Kaito grinned, "And I'm almost as good at you at _detecting._ You're still the detective and I'm still the magician."

Shinichi shook his head, smiling. "Well, now that we've established that… the hotel isn't far. Are we walking?"

"How tall is the control tower?" Kaito asked, just to see Shinichi glower at him.

"_No,_ Kaito. This poor country hasn't been warned about your kind of crazy."

Kaito pouted dramatically, "Why ever not?"

Shinichi tilted his head, apparently giving the question some thought. "You know, I don't know. I would have thought Nakamori-keibu could call ahead…"

Kaito stumbled as he choked on a laugh. He hadn't expected Shinichi to continue on the 'warning' line, though he probably should have. "Oh, gods bless_,_ Shin-chan. If anyone needs to have advance warning given, it's _you._ The first time you get drawn into case-solving, the poor locals are going to treat you like an interloping kid until you prove them all to be relative idiots in comparison. There's a _reason_ Megure-keibu got you that ID."

At some point, they had dropped back into Japanese, and making their way out of the airport got relatively few odd looks. "So," Kaito prompted, "Hotel?"

"Kaa-san had mercy for the first night, it looks like," Shinichi glanced at the address and hotel-name given. "It's about half a mile that way, and you can see it from here—it doesn't look like the annoyingly gaudy kind she prefers."

Kaito laughed, "Enough time for that in a resort town, huh?"

"It'll probably still somehow manage to be embarrassing. Kaa-san does work at that."

Knowing Kudo Yukiko, it was going to be some extravagant couples suite despite the size of the hotel and the fact that they were only there for one night. It was probably going to be reserved in such a way as to emphasize the 'honeymoon' thing, too.

Well. It wasn't as if either of them really had a _reason_ to be embarrassed about it. And—well, like Shinichi had pointed out when the thing first came up over dinner with his parents—it wasn't like it would be the first time they'd shared a bed.

Besides which, they still had some planning to do, now that they were actually getting close to their objective. Pandora may have been long ignored and likely not even thought of where it lay, but it would be best if they made sure no one would notice it missing, all the same. Better safe than sorry, after all.

_xxxx_

_*I took the name 'Kirk Kanvaki' from a Finnish name for a Church Grim or Churchyard Beast. I left out the accents and split it in two. I'm a myth and legend junkie, in case anyone was wondering._

_xxxx_


	51. Chapter 50

_Hi, all. Short and quiet chapter, but chapter._

_Also, anon reviewer by the title of PipeDream (and anyone else who has questioned this) the whole 'fate lock' thing was apparently not well enough described. I had the word 'immediate' before 'death' in the explanation to imply that if they headed something off early enough, they could_—theoretically—_change the outcome without someone else dying or one of them getting hurt. But that doesn't mean they can see every possible repercussion for their actions, so just because the 'lock' doesn't close if they're enough ahead of time, doesn't mean nothing else will go wrong. It just means its no longer guaranteed either way, like normal life. Sorry for not explaining properly earlier. (Also, I'm fairly sure you'd find the 'No Ghosts' 'verse significantly less depressing than the 'Chances' 'verse, if not in the short run, then in the long.)_

_Now, going back to bed. So _tired.

**_Chapter 50_**

At least Kaito was amused, Shinichi reflected, eying the monstrosity that likely shouldn't have been a room in this particular hotel with long-suffering resignation. He'd _known_ what he was getting into, letting his mother plan, but he'd done it anyway. That made the sappy and over-romantic setup entirely his own fault.

At least the roses had the room smelling nice. His mother did know how to choose her flowers—none of the overbred beautiful-but-scentless roses coming with anything _she_ had a hand in.

After another few moments, he decided to just be grateful she had avoided silk, satin, and pink.

Kaito laughed at him, gesturing to the _mostly_ matching colors. "Your mom…"

Shinichi shook his head, lips quirking. "One could point out that she is _your_ mom, too, now."

"I'm kind of surprised she didn't have the carpet replaced," Kaito admitted, grinning. "It seems like something she'd do."

"We're only here for one night," Shinichi pointed out.

"Expecting more at Ainsworth?"

"It's _Kaa-san._"

Kaito cackled, shaking his head and moving over to flip on the radio before pointedly tuning it to static. "Well, either way. Plans to fine-tune."

They actually did most of their planning in a combination of sign and tap, with normal conversation overlaying—which also involved plans this time, but not of the potentially dangerous kind. They were reasonably sure they weren't being watched by their not-so-friendly alcoholics, but it was a good habit to stay in, for if and/or _when_ they managed to draw too much attention.

Meanwhile, they needed a good look at that piece of not-exactly-quartz. It wasn't particularly known or anything, but if it went missing, _someone_ would notice. The likelihood of that notice bringing the wrong people's attention was slim, but… well. Better safe than sorry. And if they replaced it, no one would get in trouble for losing it, either.

_xxxx_

Ainsworth was nice. Of course, the place they were staying was called _Mermaid Lodge*,_ but that wasn't too surprising. The location _was_ the most convenient to the hot springs and—well, Ainsworth may have been a resort town, but it wasn't very big. There really weren't a lot of places to choose from, and of _course_ Kudo Yukiko would choose something she could tease them about later.

(The mermaid murder case hadn't come up yet, had it? That had been a 'Conan' case. It was kind of sad that the word 'mermaid' had since been associated with fire, death, and unintended cannibalism for him. But then, a lot of things had similar associations, after all the things he'd seen.)

"Hey, what're you thinking about?" Kaito asked, waving the key to their room at him.

The odds of anyone in the immediate area speaking Japanese were fairly low, but on the off chance that someone _did…_ Shinichi's fingers flicked through a quick and very vague explanation.

Kaito grimaced, "Ick. Only _you_ could stumble over something like that on 'vacation'."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow, "And the _fake_ bioterrorists weren't just as ridiculous?"

Kaito coughed, "I will claim that was your fault, too, as you were also there."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow, hands shifting, 'It was _your_ heist.'

"It was _your_ case," Kaito sniped right back.

Shinichi snorted, "Technically, it was the police's case, and we just closed it."

Kaito grinned at him, "Don't we always?"

"… Too often."

Kaito stopped and opened a door, then paused. He stood there for a moment before shaking his head with a snicker and walking in.

Shinichi was afraid to look.

_xxxx_

Shinichi had been _right_ to be afraid to look, but at least it was only them and the hotel staff that would be seeing it. Besides which, he and Kaito had agreed: first two days were for actual relaxation, barring any strikes of Shinichi's curse. Naturally, this meant settling in and taking advantage of the hot springs. Specifically, the one with the cave.

In retrospect, it wasn't a huge cave. More like a vaguely u-shaped cavern. There were a few places at the back that were sloped enough that one could crawl up on them, but that probably wasn't a good idea—natural stone or not, the entire small cave was quite wet, and there was always the chance of slipping even if it wasn't really _slick._ Back in the closest thing there was to a corner, the heat and steam were so thick that it made it feel hard to breathe, and at the same time, like it was clearing his lungs.

Add in some eucalyptus oil and he'd breathe easily next time he got stuck in a burning building. Until afterwards, anyway, and he really knew better than to think things like that, because whenever he did, something _happened._

"Shin-chan, _relax._ There is nothing bad happening right now; do _not_ borrow trouble."

Shinichi laughed softly, "I know, I know. It's just—it's been pretty peaceful since we got back, and I'm used to that not lasting the way it has."

Kaito grimaced, herding Shinichi back towards cooler air, "Aa," he agreed.

He got it, of course. He'd lived the same life, after all, right alongside Shinichi. The fact that they weren't being _actively_ hunted was strange. It was a _good_ strange, but it was also hard to get used to. Normally, they would have been forced into new hiding places a good dozen times, at least. Now, they hadn't even seen the Black except when they were the ones looking.

It felt weird.

Then again, so did the fact that he never woke up sore and was back in high school. At least he wasn't having to repeat _grade school_ again. _That_ had been _mind-numbing._

High school with Kaito was at least entertaining, even if the schoolwork itself was no challenge.

"Well, at least you're smiling," Kaito decided after a moment, and Shinichi realized he'd spaced, _again._

"I must be more tired than I thought," he muttered.

Kaito frowned at him. "Do you want to go back to the room?"

"Mm. Probably a good idea," Shinichi rubbed a hand over his eyes, "I need a nap."

Kaito considered the statement even as his gentle herding switched to the direction of the steps out of the hot spring. "That… actually sounds kind of nice. All this heat is making me sleepy, too."

Shinichi huffed, mildly amused. "You? _Sleepy?_ Is the sky falling?"

Kaito splashed him.

_xxxx_

After the nap (which somehow ended with Kaito octopus-wrapping himself around Shinichi to ward off the chill, as the AC unit had ended up on high and neither one of them had the will to get up and do something about it), they headed out to dinner.

For the first time in what felt like a very long time, Shinichi ate dinner at a semi-nice restaurant and no one _died_. He heard Kaito thanking Tyche and Inari as they left.

… All things considered, praying wasn't a bad idea. At worst, it wouldn't help. At best—well, they'd had a peaceful meal. That had to count for _something._

"Want to catch a movie before we head back?"

Shinichi shook his head, "Too loud. I want a quiet night."

"There's a hiking path not far from here, and it's well-maintained from what I hear. Would you rather walk?"

That sounded nice. "Sure."

This was actually turning into a vacation day. A _real_ vacation day. Shinichi laughed softly at the thought, shaking his head.

Their lives were ridiculous, had been even before the mess with multi-national crime syndicates and magic and _time-travel._ Add in all the rest—well, it would have been too fantastic to believe if they weren't _living_ it. And yet, he couldn't imagine a normal life.

If he'd had a normal life, he wouldn't have met Kaito, and what kind of life would that have been?

An impromptu magic show for a woman and her crying child later, bringing smiles to both faces, and Shinichi grinned. A _boring_ life, that's what.

(Three hours later, he was thanking Kaito's chosen patrons for the break as they settled into bed.)

_xxxx_

_*Mermaid Lodge (and hotel) does in fact exist. My family stayed there when we went to Ainsworth._


	52. Chapter 51

.

**_Chapter 51_**

"_Two_ peaceful days in a row?" Kaito grinned up at the nearly full moon, "Thank you!"

Their second say in Ainsworth (their first planned 'actually a vacation' day, at that) had been just as quiet and unbloodied as their arrival day. Shinichi nodded agreement for the thanks and deliberately did not ask for a third. If they were granted one, _great._ If not—well, two was more than he usually got while on 'vacation', so he'd just be grateful for what they'd been given. "What are we doing tomorrow?"

"Hiking?" Kaito suggested.

Shinichi considered. Hiking rarely turned out well for him, but he _did_ enjoy it. "Sure," he agreed. If something was going to happen, it wouldn't matter where he went, that would be where it was going to happen. He'd been assured of that. (Which, okay, _creepy,_ and he wasn't sure whether it was him or whoever was killing that was being prompted to the places. He didn't _want_ to know.)

"You're thinking about morbid things again," Kaito observed.

Shinichi shrugged, "Can you blame me?"

Kaito paused, "You know, the sad thing is that, no, I really can't."

Shinichi shook his head, lips quirking. "So. Dinner?"

"Probably a good idea, yeah. We _did_ kind of skip out—I guess our day isn't over yet."

"Asking for trouble, Kai," Shinichi groaned. "_Asking._"

Kaito shrugged, "We'll deal with trouble if it comes. Meanwhile, what do you want to eat?"

_xxxx_

Trouble didn't come until the next day, naturally out hiking on a little-used trail. Of course that it _was_ a little used trail was the trouble, though they were fortunate in it not seeming to be a hostility-driven sort of trouble and no one was dead.

Part of the trail had washed out at some point, and the group of four who had also chosen the trail that day had tried to bypass the wash-out by going above it.

Shinichi or Kaito could have done it. A few professional athletes could probably have pulled it off—vaulters or gymnasts. The average person—_maybe._ If they had a good eye for stability and a healthy dose of caution.

Those four obviously possessed neither, because two were unconscious ten meters down the mountain, one was awake but obviously in possession of a broken ankle another four after that, and the fourth actually seemed to be the least injured but thoroughly stuck in a tangled thicket of spruce saplings a good ten meters after _that_.

Shinichi pulled off his watch—thank you, Agasa and satellites—and tossed it to Kaito.

Kaito immediately flicked it open and rapped out the pertinent numbers. Voice recognition worked well enough, but his own enunciation was always that little bit clearer than Shinichi's when he really tried, so he'd only have to voice-dial once. Saved time.

As Kaito relayed the trail's name and the last marker they'd passed, Shinichi dropped down the side of the hill to check over the two unconscious hikers. He called up that one was probably only concussed, but he wasn't sure about the second's spine and there wasn't much he could do for either under the circumstances. He continued down and helped the one with the broken ankle into a somewhat more comfortable position before locating splint-worthy sticks quickly and carefully setting the break.

He wasn't surprised when the girl passed out, and ran a quick check for further injuries while keeping the trapped one talking—he got their names and that they were actually local, not tourists. Apparently this trail was one of five favorites that the group (high school age, of _course_, because kids were dumb. Even Shinichi had been dumb at that age, when he wasn't being a terrifying genius. So had Kaito. Young and dumb. Not nearly enough common sense.) The boy in the thicket was Joshua 'don't call me Josh' Campbell. The girl with the broken ankle was Emily Haven, and the two—boy and girl—unconscious further up the hill were David Brenton and Hillary White.

"Rescue's on the way," Kaito called. "Shin-chan? Where do you need me?"

"Campbell-san says he's not hurt, so we can get him out without worrying about aggravating anything. I'll need an extra brace for leverage, though," Shinichi called back, also in English for the sake of their conscious rescue-ee.

Kaito nodded and snapped his fingers, producing an over-the-chest harness and climbing rope, which wound itself round a tree to give Shinichi something to attach the harness to.

"How'd you do that?" Campbell demanded, wide-eyed.

"Magic!" Kaito said cheerfully. "I'll keep an eye on Brenton-san and White-san. Shin-chan, have you got him?"

"One moment," Shinichi reached into the tangle and caught both of Campbell's arms, hoisting back with the rope as his anchor. "Campbell-san, can you get your feet under you now?"

"I—uh, yeah, I think so. Just a sec," he squirmed against sap-sticky branches and did manage to get his feet to the ground, which made getting him the rest of the way out a lot easier. Two more good tugs, and he was free.

"All right, good," Shinichi slipped back out of the harness and handed it to the teen—_other_ teen, he mentally corrected. _He_ was a teen, too. "Put that on, we can use it to get you up to your friend. Haven-san should be waking up any moment, and it will be much less frightening with someone she knows in sight."

"Is everyone going to be okay?" Campbell asked anxiously, doing as he was told readily enough. "I _knew_ we shouldn't have tried getting past that until a trail crew got out here, but I didn't say anything! I should have said it was a bad idea!"

"I did not see any immediately fatal injuries, if that's what you're asking," Shinichi replied frankly. "Your friends will likely all have to spend some time in the hospital, although it is unlikely that Haven-san will be retained overnight provided she has someone at home to look after her. It's difficult to tell the state of the other two while they remain unconscious, though. It is possible that Brenton-san has a neck injury, and almost certain that White-san has a concussion, which could mean any number of things, most of them not good."

Campbell swallowed, clearly looking for something to focus on aside from the fact that they didn't know if his friends would be all right. "You—you sound very knowledgeable about this kind of thing."

Shinichi sighed, "I am a detective, Campbell-san. I work most closely with Tokyo's Division One—violent crimes. Mainly homicide. I have seen many, many injuries of varying severity, and these are far from the worst. It is honestly a relief that they have not been inflicted _intentionally._ Most of those I see are."

But these hadn't been, or if they _had_, it wasn't by the conscious party. The kid was genuine in his concern. He also—understandably—was not particularly comforted by the frank statement.

"Seeing signs of life up here, Shin-chan," Kaito called. "Brenton-san may be waking up. Can you get up here and help me keep him from moving? I'm still not sure about his spine."

A quick glance showed that Haven was also waking, and Shinichi grimaced, "Campbell-san, please keep Haven-san calm, she's waking, too." He didn't wait for a response or even to finish his own instructions as he scrambled to get up the mountainside quickly without putting himself at unnecessary risk. The _last_ thing they needed was another injury.

_xxxx_

The wait had been grueling in and of itself, though the fact that by the time the rescue team got there, all injured parties were awake and relatively coherent was… a mixed blessing, actually. It was a good sign, but it also meant keeping them calm and still—_very_ still in Brenton's case—had been that much more difficult. On the up-side, prognosis was good and while Brenton _did_ have a neck injury, it was thankfully not _spinal._

Kaito and Shinichi had also been able to come to the reasonably confident conclusion that it really _had_ been a case of idiocy and accident, rather than malice. Then again, it _was_ a small town. Small towns tended to have equally small crime-rates, and the 'murder' and 'attempted murder' was certainly a rarer find in those areas.

Not that it was generally apparent, with Shinichi in the area, but there _was_ the fact that it wasn't Shinichi's presence that drew crime, but rather that crime tended to draw Shinichi's presence. Or, that's what the miko had said, anyway. This though, _this_ was a trip of necessity—they had chosen to come here to take care of something vitally important and the timing had been pre-set by available non-school days.

Maybe that made a difference?

Kaito shrugged to himself, dismissing the notion. It didn't really matter either way, what would happen would happen and if they didn't have even a clue as to what it might be, they'd just have to take it as it came.

And they now had four friends in Ainsworth, which was a bonus. Sure, it would have been nice to have made them under different circumstances, but gratitude would have them more likely to be comfortable with talking to them, and they _were_ looking for a cave that was only technically open to the public. It was decidedly _not_ a tourist attraction, out of the way and involving local… Kaito was hesitant to call them 'urban legends', because the fact remained that the cave housed _Pandora,_ but they'd found it the first time by chasing—ironically—horror stories.

The one they'd found showed as a local legend, and it would be interesting to hear a local's accounting. They could also have the excuse of trying to distract and/or cheer up the one still confined to a hospital bed for another four days, immobilized for another two. The injury hadn't been spinal, but aggravating it could cause enough swelling to put pressure on his spine, which could lead to spontaneous collapse and _actually_ cause permanent damage.

"So," Kaito started brightly, sliding into a lull in the conversation. "Any local legends? There are a lot around Tokyo—even involving Shin-chan's _house,_ as his entire neighborhood except him and the Hakase seem to think it's haunted—but I don't know what kind of stories that can be found in this kind of area."

"What, like ghost stories?" Haven asked, blinking.

Kaito nodded cheerfully, "That's one kind, sure."

White tilted her head before wincing slightly. Her concussion had her a little hazier than she should have been, and there was an unfortunate amount of bruising on her shoulder and upper back what made that an uncomfortable action. "Ow," She remarked conversationally. "There's that old cave up the mountain to the east," she offered.

_Bingo._

Shinichi looked mildly interested, "Oh? What about it?"

"Story goes that it's cursed," Brenton informed, stuck staring at the ceiling with the neck-brace. "It's got a little—I don't know, shrine? Something like that in the back. A few cave paintings. Lots of natural quartz, and the shrine has a big piece on display. Sometimes there's weird lights up that way, and howling and other weird sounds. I think it's mostly just wolves, but the other kids at school say there's skinwalkers or wendigo or some other monsters up there."

Kaito had to ask, because he hadn't actually heard the 'monster' bit. The local folklore website had said 'haunted' and 'blood-red light' and left it at that. "What's a skinwalker? Or a wendigo?"

"Skinwalkers are a Native legend, but what exactly they _are_ varies by tribe. Around here, people think they're vindictive old shaman gone mad, who started taking the skins of beasts and using them to change their form. That's what got them exiled and made them turn into monsters, that they were using their magic the wrong way."

That… considering what Kaito knew of actual magic, that sounded unnervingly possible—or something very _like_ it, anyway. He grimaced, noticing Shinichi's sudden stillness and knowing he thought the same. "Ick. Creepy. Do I even _want_ to know what a wendigo is?"

"Monster that feeds on human flesh," Haven replied, suddenly cheerful. Oh, the _sadistic _type when it came to storytelling. "_Those_ stories go that they were people, who, for one reason or another, ended up going cannibal and eventually turned into monsters. Fast, strong, long-lived, can hibernate for years until someone wanders too close. If they don't kill you, their touch turns you into one of them."

That one was far less likely—or, not in the sense that the stories probably made it sound. Classic Mad Cow Disease, more-or-less. Cattle got it second, timeline-wise, by being fed ground cow leftovers. Humans—specifically cannibal tribes, mostly island-bound off the African coast—got it first*, and pretty much the same way. If a group got locked in cannibalism long enough—yeah, they'd go nuts, get aggressive (could it be called 'murderous' when they were killing out of genuine insanity?), and probably go after people as food after having been using them as food to make them _go_ nuts. Which, okay, one more reason to _not_ be a cannibal. Aside from the 'ick' factor and the general moral reasons, that was. Yay for medical reinforcement? (The things he learned living with Shinichi.)

"Yeah, I didn't want to know," Kaito informed, making a face. "Gross."

"There _are_ weird lights from up there some nights, though," Campbell admitted. "It's creepy. No one around here sleeps well those nights, either. The mayor's sent people up to look it over, but nothing's been found. Some of the other kids dare each other to go up there at night, though—no one ever stays the whole night. They come back saying that it just feels too wrong."

Shinichi frowned consideringly.

Kaito groaned. "Great, he's gone into meitantei-mode. We'll be going up there and finding out what's going on, now."

"Oh, yeah," Campbell sat up a little straighter, "You said you're a detective, Kudo?"

Shinichi nodded, "Mainly homicide, but I've worked other cases, too. I'd like to take a look at that cave tomorrow—during the _day,_ Kaito, don't look at me like that. I want to be able to see. If there's evidence of human tampering, I can probably track down the source. If not…"

"You can probably track down the source anyway," Kaito grumped fondly. "You _always_ do."

"If you get the Red Nights to stop, no one will complain," Haven informed. "They don't happen all that often—near the full moon, sometimes, but not _every_ full moon and not always the _full_ moon, but… I get nightmares those nights, and I know my parents do, too."

Brenton grunted agreement, as did Campbell. White shivered, "I get night terrors, sometimes," she admitted. "Nightmares I can't wake up from, even after I _am_ awake. I got them when I was little, but they stopped before we moved here. They always come back on the Red Nights, though. If it weren't for these guys, I'd have asked my parents if we could go somewhere else within six months of moving here."

Shinichi frowned, a genuine look of concerned thought this time. Kaito found himself echoing the expression. "That's weird," he agreed. "That sounds… I don't like that."

An echo from Pandora, probably, which meant lead-lined silver should do the trick. Wood on the outside so it didn't look valuable. Lead blocked all sorts of things, and silver scattered 'malicious' mahou for all that it could be used to amplify other kinds, from what Akako had taught them in the future-that-wasn't.

Meanwhile, even though they didn't have the attention of the Black, they still had a reasonable excuse to be going to that cave. Without a gem involved and with what sounded like a prank in poor taste to anyone who hadn't had magic _proved_ to them, there was no reason for a teenage detective going to check out strange reports to be considered weird.

Better safe than sorry. _Always_ better safe than sorry.

"Well, I guess we have a plan for tomorrow," Shinichi offered, a little hopefully.

Kaito gave a long-suffering sigh. "Never could resist a mystery," he moaned, woefully dramatic.

Shinichi huffed.

Kaito laughed, "Yeah, yeah, plan for tomorrow. So long as you're not hauling me off in the wee hours of the morning, sure. Why not? Let's go to the haunted cave."

Shinichi rolled his eyes, "Ghosts-"

"'-don't exist, Kaito'," Kaito finished for him, grinning brightly. "So you've said. Who knows? You might even be right!"

He hadn't been*, and they both knew it, but ghosts were rare and physically harmless. More like shadows than anything, memories that left imprints—not actual spirits of the dead.

"If you guys are going up there, good luck. I hope you find out what's causing the weirdness."

"Oh, we'll certainly try. Any other mysteries around here for Shin-chan to look into, so long as we're at it?"

Brenton gave a soft huff as he rolled his eyes sideways to try and look at them, "Well, if you could figure out how Daisy the pony is always getting out of her pasture…"

Kaito chuckled, "We could look into it if you _really_ want us too."

_xxxx_

_*That's what Dad said about Mad Cow Disease, anyway, if paraphrased. There was a lot more medical terminology and scientific names of diseases and disease types. Considering he was the guy that did the autopsies before he retired, I'm inclined to believe him._

_*Ghosts existing is canon, at least in the anime. I can't remember the episode name/number, but there's a little girl ghost shown to the audience who is also shown to Ayumi, but never proven. The fact that someone else had been _faking_ her ghost was punished by her showing up to the one doing the faking, too, but everyone thought it was their plan to turn the trick around on the culprit that freaked him out so much. It's done so briefly and subtly that it's easy to ignore or overlook, but there it is, all the same. (Then again, _magic_ existing is also canon, considering Akako.)_


	53. Chapter 52

_Kinda filler, kinda not._

_(I'm not sorry!)_

**_Chapter 52_**

Maybe they had been too rushed to pay attention 'last' time, or maybe something had changed since they'd used it, but the kids had been right—the cave Pandora rested in felt… _Heavy._ Like unseen eyes were on them, but less like malevolence than simple watchfulness.

That, however, could _also_ be because they had used it. They were connected to the stone through blood sacrifice, now, however inadvertent it had been. Perhaps that gave them a measure of protection, or perhaps it was only that they were familiar with the feel of magic. Whatever the case, it definitely demanded proper investigation.

Kaito skirted around the alter carefully while Shinichi pressed a hand to the cave wall, frowning. "Got anything?" Kaito asked.

Shinichi hesitated, "I'm not sure _what._ I may need to link in for a better look, but that's going to make hiking back a little difficult."

Kaito frowned, "… if you think you should," he said after a long moment. "But we can come back another day, you know. More prepared, maybe."

Shinichi raised his eyebrows, twisting to look at Kaito.

Okay, yeah. Aside from migraine medication or other high-grade painkillers—which would _also_ make the hike back more difficult, and possibly even more dangerous than the migraine itself—they didn't really have a way to be more prepared. Not without a helicopter, and that was just… huh. Possible, actually. They had a satellite phone and Shinichi's parents.

"If you pass out, I'm calling your mom," Kaito half-threatened.

Shinichi apparently took that as acquiescence, because he centered his balance and closed his eyes. A moment later, he was perfectly still, and all Kaito could do was wait anxiously, ready to support him when he came back to himself.

One minute. Two.

Kaito moved closer, worry heightening towards fear. Shinichi had never stayed linked so long—

—and Shinichi abruptly sagged towards the cave floor, a weak sound of pain escaping him.

Kaito caught him, lowering his voice both in tone and volume. "Shinichi?"

A pause, then a very soft, "Ow."

He let out a breath. "You all right?"

"Not moving for a minute," Shinichi breathed back, so quiet that he almost couldn't be heard. His head _really_ had to hurt for that.

"Okay," Kaito murmured, fishing out a black cotton scarf from one of his many hiding places with a thought. Cotton was harder to work with than silk in tricks, the cloth rougher and not as easy to move quickly and smoothly, but worked significantly better as blindfold material. Kaito had taken to having at least one black cotton scarf on him at any given point in time, after the first time Shinichi had dropped with a headache too bad to see clearly. Light only made things worse, and silk wasn't actually very comfortable against the eyes, especially in warm weather. (Actually, Shinichi didn't much like the feel of silk in general, so cotton had been the immediate fallback and worked well.)

Three seconds later, and Shinichi's eyes were completely covered. The soft sound of thanks was enough proof that this had been a bad one, and Kaito tried not to frown. Shinichi would know. Shinichi _always_ knew. "Was it worth it?"

Shinichi made a vaguely affirming sound. "Radiated power. Quartz in the granite is catching it, the rest is scattering the frequency until it comes out as a fear-wave. Removing the source will help eventually, but…"

"What about closing the cave?" Kaito asked, still carefully soft.

"Would mute it enough to probably stop reaching town," Shinichi agreed, tired. "Need something—lead-lined silver'd be best. Hardwood on the outside."

Kaito nodded. A silver box wouldn't be too hard to get, and a package or two of lead fishing weights would work just fine to melt down and coat the inside with. Hardwood… there were plenty of those in the general region, if he remembered correctly. Surely _someone_ would sell boxes made of it. Oak or yew if nothing else.

"Can you stand?"

Shinichi made a vaguely affirmative gesture. Kaito helped him up and guided him out of the cave, then over to a fallen tree to ease him back to the ground. "So. _Should_ I call your mom?"

Shinichi huffed at him, fingers flicking a denial. "I can walk."

"Shouldn't just yet, though," Kaito pointed out, dropping down next to him and pulling him sideways. "Take a nap. I'll wake you in two hours; if you're still this out of it, I'm calling in a ride."

Shinichi knew when not to protest, taking the order in the spirit it was given and quickly falling asleep.

Kaito sighed to himself, tipping his head back against mossy bark. Times like this, he wished Shinichi weren't so much better than he was with that stunt. He couldn't split the load, only watch over Shinichi in the aftermath.

Frustrating at best. _Painful_ in quite a few ways, to watch and be unable to help. Shinichi had never held that against him, but sometimes he couldn't help but hold it against himself.

He sighed again, carding his fingers absently through unnaturally tidy strands. It was ridiculous, how much work it took to mess up Shinichi's hair. He maintained that it should not be difficult to _mess up_ hair. Straighten, style, etc.—sure, fine. Mess up? That was supposed to be _easy!_

And now he was trying to distract himself. Kaito shook his head at his own anxiety. He knew perfectly well that there was nothing truly directly threatening about 'linking in' as Shinichi had started calling it. He himself wasn't very good at it, even by Akako's standards (which, ironically, weren't very high on that as far as he could tell), but he was fully aware that the backlash was inevitable. Even _Akako_ got it, and she was a born witch.

And Shinichi was better at it than Akako, which made the backlash being vicious only to be expected. A mix of fatigue and overtaxing one's mind; headaches were a normal response to either of those things, nevermind both. It wasn't _dangerous,_ not directly. Even those times where Shinichi had been rendered temporarily blind through sheer pain, it had been cured by a good night's sleep. It was less dangerous than a migraine, even if it often reached the same level, and worrying was pointless and unnecessary.

(He worried every time, anyway.)

_xxxx_

The first thing Shinichi noticed when Kaito woke him up two hours later (aside from the actual 'Kaito waking him up' part) was that the feel of the energy from the cave currently housing Pandora was… _pulsing._ There was an unfortunately high chance that tonight would be one of what the kids had called 'Red Nights'. The second thing he noticed was that he actually felt a great deal better from just the two hour nap, despite the fact that said nap had been taken outside on a mountain in Canada.

Not that he hadn't slept in significantly less comfortable places, over the years-that-weren't, and Kaito made a fairly comfortable pillow. He informed Kaito of this.

Kaito blinked at him for several seconds. "How's your head?" he decided on, rather than addressing the unusual waking greeting.

"Much better, actually," Shinichi sat up, rolling his neck and shoulders. "But… well, you feel that too, right?"

Kaito grimaced, "Probably going to be a Red Night, huh?"

"We could try to get back before dark to seal the cave. Moonlight probably amplifies it, which would be why it's a nighttime problem that comes more often on a full moon."

Kaito nodded slightly, fingers twitching through an agreeing comment. 'Pandora really _did_ glow red in the moonlight.'

Even now, it was impossible to reference _that_ legend aloud without inducing paranoia. They'd run too long, no matter that they didn't need to run now. Or _yet_, anyway.

"Let's head back into town and hit a couple antique shops. If they don't have what we're looking for, a higher-end souvenir shop might, but…"

"Antique shop will have better quality," Kaito agreed. "Maybe a general store, for some fishing weights."

Shinichi nodded, "We can check for an actual woodworking shop as we go, too, but the wood one isn't immediately vital."

Kaito stood up, offering Shinichi a hand before removing the dirt and bits of bark from both of them with a snap and a brief puff of wind. "Well, then. Shall we?"

_xxxx_

Four hours later, they were down the mountain and adding the finishing touches to the sterling silver box they'd acquired. A velvet lining to cover the lead and they were ready to head back up the mountain.

Better to get that thing shielded as soon as possible, no matter how nerve-wracking it would be to have it in their possession. They could probably destroy it… but only 'probably', and not necessarily _safely._ It was better to do a little research in Akako's library before trying anything.

(There was the option of simply giving it to Akako if they couldn't, or getting Shinichi's parents or Agasa to help them do something ridiculous with it, like send it sunward. The sun would be as safe a place to put it as any—he'd like to see _anyone_ get it out of a yellow star. Even if the resources to do something like that would be a bit crazy. That would probably work, if nothing else did. Even if it survived, by the time the sun went nova, no one would remember the thing.)

Then they actually went up the mountain, and of _course_ there was no one else up there—the eerie red glow from the cave was already becoming noticeable against the dusk, and those kids had been right: it felt _chilling._

It hadn't been a Red Night when they'd been there in the future-that-wasn't. In truth, Kaito didn't know if there had even _been_ Red Nights. Perhaps using it made a difference—it was already clear that it wasn't exactly fixed in time. As unintentional as their use had been, the fact remained that they _had_ used it.

Kaito didn't know if the cave just hadn't felt the same at all, or if the fact that he and Shinichi had realized their following even as they'd gotten inside it had the fear they felt at being found indistinguishable from that induced by the cave, or if the lack of red glow had meant the cave hadn't felt the same at all, instead of merely less intensely.

Shinichi barely batted an eye as he crossed the cave's threshold and was fully bathed in the eerie glow. Of course, Shinichi was used to fear. He'd had more reason to fear that Kaito had, for a long time, and had been so _small_ that the helplessness that Kaito had only rarely felt had to be something Shinichi—Conan—had learned to live with.

Kaito followed a few paces behind, taking rear-guard and keeping a careful eye out for possible threats. (They hadn't been followed. Not this time. He'd been watching for it, he would have noticed by now… but it _felt_ like they were being watched.)

Nothing happened.

Shinichi took the leaded silver box out of the light daypack he'd worn (Kaito's mini-backpack had food and a few standard essentials for day-hikes, on the off chance they actually ran into normal people out here and needed an excuse) and opened it, plucking up Pandora (not glowing, out of moonlight itself no matter that the cave walls were emitting a bloody light) and nestling it carefully into the velvet.

(Pandora wouldn't be so fragile as that, but partial sentience wasn't ruled out. Offending an artifact of power wasn't a good idea—but they had to move it. The Black may not have found it until shortly after they had, but they hadn't _followed_ Shinichi and Kaito to it. They had come looking themselves. It was how they'd been caught so unaware.)

The lid tupped closed and Shinichi latched it before returning the box to his pack and re-shouldering it, a quick hand-sign prompting Kaito to take lead on exiting.

Something rumbled.

"Kaito, _move!_"

The ground jolted, and Kaito wavered only slightly before flinging himself forward, matching Shinichi stride for stride as the detective bolted for the cave's entrance.

Almost out, and a sharp crack split the air and ground alike, Shinichi yelping as he stumbled, dodging out one side of the exit as Kaito was forced to swerve out the other, several large chunks of stone crashing down between them.

"Shinichi!"

A millisecond later, and what looked like half the mountain started sliding towards him as the entire cave collapsed on itself and Kaito _had_ to fall back. He'd be no good to Shinichi dead, and it was hardly the first time Shinichi had needed to vie with landslides…

It was not a comforting thought.

Kaito bit his lip, dodging stone and the occasional tree, cursing silently and saving his breath for _moving._

When everything finally stilled, he was alone.

No.

_No._ He couldn't be—he had to find Shinichi, had to—but the swathe of destruction in front of him was well over a kilometer wide, and Shinichi had been _that way_—

No. He couldn't think like that. Shinichi was out in that mess somewhere; all he had to do was _find_ him.

Down. Up would have been impossible against that tumble of rock and wood. So. Down. Down and side, and Shinichi _had_ to be okay. Had to.

But. He'd been tired from earlier already. Reflexes not quite as fast as usual. And—Shinichi was the one with the satellite phone, and Kaito wasn't going to take the time to go back to town for help. If Shinichi was hurt, that would take far, far too long.

(Couldn't be dead. Not _Shinichi._)

Kaito didn't hesitate before bounding down through still-settling debris.

_xxxx_


	54. Chapter 53

.

**_Chapter 53_**

It was really kind of sad, Shinichi thought to himself, that his first thought on having the mountain protest the stone's removal was 'We must have offended it.' As a teen the first time—or even a grade-schooler the second—something like that would _never_ have crossed his mind.

The chaos quickly proved him wrong, though, as Pandora was well and truly shielded and even if it _were_ offended (and it hadn't done anything the 'first' time, when they hadn't quite made it out of the cave and had been significantly less careful), he would have felt _something_ before everything started coming down around their heads.

He got clipped by a smaller rock and nearly flattened entirely by a tree before things settled down, and he looked around to find himself genuinely surprised that he hadn't been killed about forty times over. Only the one rock had actually hit him, and that had been a glancing graze which wasn't even going to leave much more than a long scrape and a relatively shallow bruise.

…Perhaps that kind of thing was part of how the stone got the 'immortal' legend. Not immortality, just luck?

Not that he'd care to keep it and find out.

Either way, why had half the mountain come down around their ears, and where was Kaito? He'd been forced to dodge the opposite direction from Shinichi, and even from where he stood, Shinichi could see that the path of destruction didn't go much further in that direction. Kaito had probably made it out of the rockslide's area entirely.

Only probably, and Shinichi had to know for certain. His ears were still ringing from the thunderous noise, though, and he doubted he'd be able to make out a shout from underneath the ringing and the remaining thumps and grinds of still-settling scree, so he shook himself and started making his way up the mountain at an angle, aiming roughly for where what remained of the path was.

He tried to stay calm, tried to convince himself of the truth of his own thought—that Kaito was safe, had to be safe, but he couldn't _check _ because having linked in once already had that such a spectacularly bad idea that he'd become an outright liability if he did.

He wouldn't be able to do anything even if he located Kaito that way: the results would have him blind and likely immobile. If Kaito had been hurt, that would make this take longer. If Kaito was hurt, they couldn't _afford_ for this to take longer.

Minutes stretched by and there were glistening dark splashes amongst shattered wood and stone, one large, and he'd felt _fear_ before realizing it was the wrong shape and size, that there was fur where Kaito had worn cotton. Of _course_ there were animals on the mountain, and a large area had come down. It wasn't Kaito.

But—motion, there, and that _was_ Kaito against the moonlight, moving towards the same animal (deer perhaps?) that Shinichi had spotted, probably not able to see it from the angle he was coming from. Kaito was moving smoothly (if he was injured, it wasn't badly), but landing in what would be still-warm gore would be _extremely_ unpleasant at best, even if it did turn out to be an animal.

"Kaito!" he shouted, hoping the magician could hear him. If Kaito's ears were ringing, too, he would not be surprised, and while the ringing was starting to die down, it still made the relative silence left in the wake of the landslide hard to discern.

The movement paused. "Shinichi?" a return call.

Huh. He could hear better than he'd thought. "Here—no, wait there, Kaito, five more meters and you'll regret your next step. I'm coming to you."

"Are you all right?" Kaito demanded, stopping in place.

"A scrape and a bruise, that's all. I admit to being kind of surprised I wasn't _flattened, _ but I only got clipped the once. You?"

"Fine," Kaito assured. "I got out the edge without even realizing it."

Shinichi nodded to himself as he picked his way through rubble more cautiously. Dusk had turned to full-dark somewhere along the way, and if weren't for the full moon, he'd have been hard-pressed to make it without a flashlight. He had his watch, but the beam—while useful—wasn't very strong. Agasa was still working on that; the lights he'd used in it after adding the satellite phone the 'last' time around hadn't come out for public use until the next year, and while Agasa knew _how_ to make lights, making small ones required equipment the inventor just didn't have.

Shinichi was tempted to acquire them from another source, now, for all that it would be hideously expensive.

He shook his head and skirted around the dead animal, (probably deer, or young elk. Certainly not a predator's hide,) accepting Kaito's hand up onto the slightly higher plain of brand-new scree-field. "Hey," he let Kaito check him over even as he did the same to his partner, making absolutely sure he was all right.

"Hey," Kaito greeted back. "Was that Pandora or…?"

Shinichi ran a finger over the piece of stone they were standing on, seeing part of one of the cave-paintings on it. "I don't think so," he decided. "Not directly. Look here—see that?"

"The mica is… _disintegrating._"

"And the rock is unaccountably warm. Probably a reaction to the energy field it was putting out—that would explain why the cave was so warm. I'd assumed it was just all the geologic activity in the area—it _is_ a hot-spring resort town; surely there are a few unclaimed wild springs as well."

Kaito nodded, "That's what I'd thought, too, but there's no water in this mess."

Shinichi agreed, "So, somehow the heat was a reaction to the energy field. When we cut it off, the expansion caused by that much heat started to go, quickly, and the mica broke apart. Everything came down."

"… which could be why it didn't happen before," Kaito hummed. "We didn't shield it, so…"

"Exactly. Although I'm not going to look for verifying evidence; we don't have time for that and I'd rather not stay here. Even if it has started to settle, new scree is _never_ safe."

"Yeah," Kaito was already looking for a good path back to the trail. "Do you have your glasses on you?"

Shinichi smacked his forehead. He did, and a spare pair for Kaito. Night vision would make this so much safer.

"Yes, but you forgot?" Kaito interpreted the head-smack.

Shinichi wordlessly handed him a pair while sliding his own on and activating the night-vision. Kid's monocle had the same functions, now, but they had quite deliberately left that and everything else Kid-identifiable in Japan. If it had just been a monocle with a clover charm, they could pass it off as a fan-item. With the Agasa-and-Jii upgrades? Yeah, not a chance.

The _glasses_ weren't iconic, and very few people looked closely at glasses when someone carried them. The automatic assumption was 'reading glasses', and they were ignored as such.

Ten minutes later and they were far enough away from the landslide that they both turned around to look at it properly.

"Huh," Shinichi said. It looked worse from the outside. No wonder Kaito had been reckless in heading back in.

"… Spectacular," Kaito decided. "In the literal, dictionary definition of the word."

Shinichi had to agree. It was eye-catching even in the moonlight, obviously new and with jagged edges of broken stone jutting at sharp angles, splintered wood and tumbled brush tangled amidst the rubble. Not beautiful, by any stretch of the imagination, a scar of destruction across the mountainside… but _spectacular, _ yes. He could see that.

"Let's go," Shinichi replied after a moment. He didn't want to stay here, with some of the surviving small animals making sounds of pain. Now that his hearing had just about returned to normal, it wasn't something he wanted to stay for.

He knew better than to bother looking or trying to help any of them. Even tame animals were dangerous when hurt, and wild ones would be even more so. If they could even locate them, in the mess.

Kaito nodded and moved towards the path as Shinichi followed. "Got to ask, though," he added.

"Hm?"

"Granite?"

Shinichi blinked. Well, there wasn't a lot of granite in the area. "There is some around here," he pointed out, "Maybe not much, but with that crystal being as it was, it makes sense that whoever put it there matched it to the quartz in the granite."

Kaito hummed thoughtfully, "Point. What with how a lot of those ancient superstitions went, I could see them thinking it was honoring a god of some kind."

"May even have been," Shinichi agreed.

Kaito shrugged, acknowledging. "Yeah, let's get down to the… uh, who do we report this to? It's not a _crime…_"

"Police anyway," Shinichi decided. "They'll know who to inform, at any rate. I doubt anyone else was up there, but they'll be able to get word out and on the off chance that someone _was, _they'll be able to set up search and rescue."

Kaito huffed, "And I'm not sure whether I'd like them to run a background check or not. They'd probably ask us to leave if they figure out that this is _benign,_ for us."

"You mean 'me'." Shinichi corrected dryly.

"Well, I have pretty weird luck, too," Kaito pointed out. "What with Akako and everything _else._"

"So. Landslide where no one gets hurt is your luck, then?"

Kaito made a grumpy sound, "Let's just get off this mountain before _your_ luck kicks in, okay?"

Shinichi didn't protest. His luck had been remarkably dormant this trip—he was _not_ going to push it.

_xxxx_

It was well into morning by the time they actually got back to the hotel, the hike back down the mountain followed by reporting the landslide and the police insisting on having both of them looked over by paramedics.

Said paramedics were surprised that Shinichi's bruise-and-scrape was the worst either of them had.

That was understandable, Kaito had informed them. He was surprised they'd gotten out of it so well, too. Grateful, but surprised.

"Shinichi. _Bed,_" he ordered, swiping the box with Pandora and stowing it away. Shinichi could probably find it, if he really wanted to, but it was quite obvious that Kaito wasn't the only one who could use some sleep. "I'll set up the usual alarms and put the 'do not disturb' sign up, but we _both_ need to sleep. We've been awake for over twenty-four hours."

Shinichi blinked, shook his head, and huffed. "I forgot… we're on vacation, aren't we? Now that we've taken care of the important things."

Kaito shook his head right back, "Jeez, Shin-chan, you're worse than I am."

"Oh, thanks," Shinichi glanced around the (very much Yukiko-decorated) room, then shrugged and wandered into the bathroom to get ready for bed. "This still feels weird—it's _morning._ I should be getting up, not going to bed."

Kaito rolled his eyes, despite the fact that Shinichi wouldn't be able to see it from in front of the bathroom sink, "We can get up in a few hours," he informed. "It will still be morning, then. Barely."

Shinichi rapped a quick, amused response on the countertop, probably with a mouthful of toothpaste.

"I _will_ insinuate sappy romance in front of the hotel staff," Kaito threatened.

Another, completely unrepentant and unintimidated set of knocks replied.

Huh. Shinichi had a point. They weren't likely to ever see anyone here again, so that was a pretty empty threat. Oh, second point—they _were_ married, and while sappy romance wouldn't be expected by anyone in Japan who knew them (and the fact that it had been _arranged,_ though not the fact that they had prompted the arrangement), here it really would be. Arranged marriages were almost unheard of in America, and while Kaito wasn't absolutely sure about Canada, he assumed it was similar in that regard. Also, it was _extremely_ rare for alliance-marriages to involve same-sex couples*, because children were expected.

A moment of the sound of the tap running, and Shinichi came back out, dressed in pajamas and a little bleary-eyed. "'Night," he informed.

Kaito set up the last of the standard alarms—well, _their _standard, anyway—and speed-changed into his own sleepwear before climbing into bed beside Shinichi. "Goodnight, he replied, cuddling down in the blankets.

Sleep sounded _good._

_xxxx_

_*Since same-sex marriage isn't actually recognized in Japan, this is completely a headcanon. Of _course_ an alliance would expect children, and while adopting is a possibility, traditionally it would be expected for the child to be born to them, yes?_


	55. Chapter 54

_Yay chapter?_

**_Chapter 54_**

Kaito snapped awake with a scream clogged in his throat as Shinichi twisted restlessly beside him, and thought that maybe sleep hadn't been such a good idea after all. Everything had tangled up, blood and gunshots and falling stone, and Shinichi staggering with a crystal in hand and blood spilling from his chest with Snake so close and pointing his gun (_no, no more!_) before he was falling, everything dimming even as he _knew_ Shinichi wasn't going to make it—

He'd been grateful, then, that he wasn't going to be left behind. His last thought had been that gratitude, because he couldn't face the world without Shinichi anymore, and Shinichi was leaving that world.

They'd just ended up lucky in _how._

Shinichi woke to his voice easily enough, and Kaito tucked down and _clung._ How could he not?

That Shinichi hugged back was very telling. (But Kaito had died first, and while he'd known Shinichi wasn't going to live, he hadn't actually seen—_felt_—him dead. And not so long ago, Shinichi had fought for him as he'd died again, had managed to keep enough blood and oxygen to give him a _third_ chance despite the length of time where his heart hadn't worked on its own. Kaito thought that would have broken him entirely.)

"Okay?" Kaito mumbled against Shinichi's hair.

Shinichi made a sound that might have been a laugh, cracked and brittle. "_Not_ okay."

And the Red Nights were supposed to give nightmares, too, weren't they? And of course they had to have been right up there in the middle of it, so who knew how much that fear had seeped in?

Kaito raised his head just enough to get a good look at the curtains, then tugged the thick drapes aside with a twist of will, refusing to let go of Shinichi long enough to use more conventional means. The thin lacy ones that were really only a basic view-shield from the outside he left in place, scattering the light just enough to keep it from being blinding_._

"Try and go back to sleep," he prompted, tucking his nose into Shinichi's hair. He had him, he _had_ him, Shinichi was here and safe and _alive_.

Shinichi's grip on him tightened briefly, and Kaito knew their dreams hadn't been so different.

"I'm not going anywhere," Kaito murmured against the fear, both his and Shinichi's.

"I'm not letting go," Shinichi whispered back, something so utterly _fractured_ about his voice that Kaito was afraid that if he moved, Shinichi would break entirely.

"Okay," he agreed, curling even closer. "Okay."

They had needed _rest,_ not nightmares.

He really should have seen it coming.

_xxxx_

Hours later, once they'd both managed to make it back to 'calm', Kaito picked a (or rather, 'the') restaurant. (Ainsworth proper only had the one and he was _not_ going to be taking Shinichi anywhere in a _taxi_ tonight.) It claimed to have some Asian-style dishes, and he was kind of curious as to what that entailed. There were fair number of others in relatively nearby towns (Nelson seemed to have a plethora of 'bar-and-grill' types, especially), but the actual resort only had the one.

He'd looked it up online, just to check, and found a wide range of reviews, from 'excellent all around' to 'terrible service, mediocre food'. Food was entirely a matter of opinion, but the more expansive reviews included wait time and attentiveness of servers, which meant the 'service' records were just _spotty._ Weird.

Either way, it was the only one they could walk to, so. Springs it was. (Also, 'The Springs Restaurant'? Really? Descriptive, but not exactly creative_._ Not even a more interesting word for 'spring'. He could do better in his _sleep._)

"What are you thinking that has that pout on your face?" Shinichi asked, sounding amused.

Kaito told him.

Shinichi laughed, and Kaito counted that a win. Much better than earlier, and Shinichi's laugh lightened his own spirits considerably. Even more so when Shinichi added in a teasing set of handsigns, 'Not _everyone_ can be Kaitou KID.'

Kaito pouted more exaggeratedly, "_You_ could do better in your sleep, too!"

Shinichi grinned at him, "To be fair, I'm just as much a Kid as you are, these days."

That was vague enough, in English, (and their conversation _had_ been ranging between Japanese and English, because why not?) to not be paranoia-inducing. Most people wouldn't recognize the 'Kid' being a specific international criminal instead of 'young person'.

And Kaito kind of had to concede the point.

"Well, flip a coin! Tonight's service is either going to be great or horrible, according to online reviews. Also, I'm morbidly curious about what 'Asian style' means."

"Probably 'vaguely able to remind one of'," Shinichi told him, shaking his head and smiling. "Come on, let's go. Do we have a reservation?"

"Technically, yes, but I only made it ten minutes ago."

"Not a crowded night, then?"

"Not a crowded time of year, near as I can tell."

Shinichi tipped his head in acknowledgement.

It _was_ winter, after all. Even Kaito had almost forgotten that despite the bare branches of the deciduous trees, as the weather so far had really been closer to the chill of late fall than the chill of winter.

The restaurant itself turned out to be interesting. The view was nice, if not the most spectacular they'd seen even only nearby. Service was decent, though nothing outstanding, and the food was…

Okay, Kaito had to go with 'strange'. While the 'Asian style' dish he'd ordered out of blatant curiosity wasn't _bad,_ it was really more a suggestion or passing nod to something that came off as a cross between Korean and Thai, with possibly some Chinese mixed in. Definitely far from individually recognizable and with enough similarity to some of the nicer American restaurants Shinichi's parents had taken them to in New York to have the 'style' part pretty accurate. It was local foodstuffs styled to taste vaguely Asian, but not particularly _well._

To be fair, it was also kind of tasty, even if his first thought had been 'strange'.

Shinichi's was significantly closer to actual Italian, though it didn't bother claiming to be such—there was only so much you could do to alfredo without it becoming something else entirely.

Naturally, Kaito stole a piece of chicken. "Tasty," he grinned.

Shinichi shrugged, then stole a bite of Kaito's. "Weird. Interesting, but definitely weird."

Kaito grinned at him, "I'm a terrible influence."

"We're married. Legally, possession-wise we're a single entity, therefore it's not stealing."

Kaito laughed, leaning back over to steal a noodle.

That was right about when someone choked off to the side, staggering to his feet and making as though to run to the toilet. He got one step before hitting his knees and throwing up and it was only seconds more before he'd dropped entirely, limbs going slack.

"Kaito!" Shinichi snapped, already up and moving. He turned to a nearby waiter, "Don't let anybody enter or leave until the police get here!"

Kaito yanked out his phone, dialing the local emergency number. After having been around Shinichi so long, he knew death when he saw it, and that man was already gone.

The woman at the table was on her feet, babbling about food poisoning, and Shinichi cut her off, "Don't be an idiot. Unless you're suffering from severe immunodeficiency, food poisoning won't show symptoms for at least a day, and even full-on AIDS patients will have a good hour or more. This was either the strangest allergic reaction I've ever seen, or poison. From the symptoms and the area, I'd say aconite. High dose."

Aconite poisoning… yeah, Kaito could see that. It wasn't his area of expertise, but he'd been on that case. Or, he hoped it was 'that' case, because if Shinichi had needed to deal with people using aconite more than the once before—ah, relatively speaking—he was going to get worried_._ The stuff was _dangerous._

The waiter looked terrified, but the woman puffed up, "And how would a child know this?"

Shinichi sighed sharply, already more than a little suspicious of the woman in question, from what Kaito could see. Well, he was too, to be fair.

"My name is Kudo Shinichi—ah, forgive me, Shinichi Kudo in English order—and I'm a detective. I work mainly with Tokyo's Division One, violent crimes. I specialize in homicide, and aconite was used to poison arrows in Japan, traditionally by the Ainu when they hunted bear. This is not the first time I've seen these symptoms and though there _are_ venoms that share them, ingesting a venom generally renders it harmless, while that is very much _not_ the case with plant-based poisons."

The woman was looking nervous.

So, she likely either had a hand in it directly, or knew about it. Shinichi would seek out evidence and motive first—there was the chance that they were wrong, that she was nervous for some other reason. Evidence before accusation, _always._

(They weren't wrong, though it had been difficult to get the police to listen to them. Shinichi's consultant ID had been pretty useless, being in Japanese in a primarily English-speaking country. In the end, Shinichi'd given a name in the NYPD*, hoping that Redwood would help despite having mostly kept his involvement the one case he'd worked in front of the man hidden behind his mother's acting. When the Canadian inspector doing the calling turned back to them more willing to listen, Kaito figured Shinichi's gamble had paid off.)

The case was wrapped up and settled in a little over an hour, the woman arrested and Shinichi and Kaito left with half-empty plates and no desire to eat.

One of the officers offered a sympathetic smile, and Kaito recognized him from reporting the landslide, "You two aren't having a very good vacation, are you?"

"… Only one person's died," Shinichi decided after a moment, though that wasn't strictly true. Only one person since arriving in Canada, anyway. "We have four teens who may not have made it without us finding them, and the landslide could have been a _lot_ worse. I'd like to think it's going… better than usual."

"The sad part is, that's true," Kaito agreed, grinning wryly. "Last time you went with Ran and Sonoko to one of her remote get-togethers, someone tried to kill you _all,_ if I remember correctly."

"The… yeah, five people died in that one.*"

The officer gaped at them, "If you're not pulling my leg, I don't want to know about it."

"Hey, Kenny, pick up the pace!"

"Yeah, coming!" the officer called back, "Look, either way—I'm sorry you two got dragged into this. I hope your time here gets a bit less hectic."

The thought was appreciated. "Thanks," Shinichi said.

Kaito nodded, "Yeah. We're only here for a little longer, anyway."

Which was probably a good thing, or the locals would start noticing Shinichi's curse, too.

"Good luck!" the officer called over his shoulder as he moved to catch up with the one who was probably his partner.

He was out the door before either of them had a chance to properly respond, but the parting comment _was_ appreciated.

"Head back?" Kaito asked.

"Yeah," Shinichi sighed, "It was nice while it lasted."

"It was," Kaito agreed, just a little wistful.

Shinichi cast a final glance around the area, where everyone but the employees had cleared out and the younger staff had been sent home. In a place this small, the kind of publicity a murder would bring would either get it more customers… or run it out of business entirely.

Murder always had consequences for more than just killer and victim.

Why could no one ever realize that and just not do it?

_xxxx_

_*I have actually seen aconite poisoning, in a friend and accidental. Aconite's toxins can be absorbed through the skin, and accidental contact can be bad. My friend came through all right—the dose was very small, and his heart didn't stop, thankfully. For those who have seen the TV series Teen Wolf, aconite (wolfsbane) should not be tampered with. It's nasty stuff, no matter how pretty. The topical type of poisoning doesn't include nausea, diarrhea, or any other intestinal problems like the ingested kind, but I did some extra research after the doctors had ID'd the cause of the numbness and slowing responses. I ended up suiting up and clearing the patch near his house, then burning the outfit, just to be safe. Probably overkill, but… well. The Aleut hunt _whales_ with it. Better safe than sorry._

_As for the five deaths—I was making that one up. Sonoko tends to invite Ran and (by extension) Shinichi to a lot of ridiculous things. I'm deciding that at least one of those things was pre-Conan (thus actually on-record, if the police decided to _check_) and turned out badly. Shinichi had to have gotten better with experience, after all, so younger-him wouldn't have unraveled things as fast as older-him, therefore giving a culprit more time to work._

_Also, somehow just about this whole thing ended up in mostly Kaito-POV. Huh. I intended to have the second bit Shinichi, but I'm not really wanting to go back and rework it._


	56. Chapter 55

_I have nothing I can do but write, lately. Well, not _nothing, _but not much. At least it gives you guys something to read.  
_

**_Chapter 55_**

"Well, a bit of a break, anyway," Kaito decided as he checked the room for anything either of them had forgotten.

"Hmm," Shinichi agreed absently. Nearly a full week in Ainsworth and only one murder was a relief, even if the trip hadn't exactly been uneventful. Pandora was safely (well, as safely as it could be) ensconced in silver and lead, hidden within birch-wood and oak. Their rescue-ees were sad to see them go, but four lives had been _saved_ this trip, and Shinichi would have counted that a win even if they hadn't acquired the crystal and put an end to a whole area's periodic nightmares.

He wasn't banking on being able to get back to Japan without running into another case, but it was a definite relief that things had gone relatively smoothly.

Still, the inability to contact Kaito and the several terrifying minutes of _not knowing_ had sparked an idea.

He hadn't run it by his husband, yet. He needed to talk to Koizumi, first, see if it was something known. Something _possible._

He wasn't going to stand amidst the rubble wondering if Kaito was even alive ever again.

(He couldn't guarantee safety or health or even _life,_ but damned if he wasn't going to make a way to guarantee _knowing._)

_xxxx_

Shinichi had that look_,_ and Kaito wasn't _worried,_ exactly, but he wasn't quite sure why it was there. That look usually meant a crime not yet solved, clues lining up but something missing, and that there was no crime involved had Kaito wondering.

Shinichi would tell him if he needed to know, which meant he didn't, or at least, didn't _yet._ It also probably meant that Shinichi wasn't wanting to worry him, or perhaps get his hopes up, but since he had no idea what had caused the look, it was impossible to tell which.

Okay, so maybe he was a _little_ worried. There were other passengers within easy earshot, though, so Kaito tapped on the window-edge next to him. 'Shinichi?'

Shinichi blinked and glanced at him, the intensity in his eyes fading as he undoubtedly saw Kaito's concern. A lopsided half-smile, "It's fine, Kaito. Just wondering logistics on a… possible project."

Not wanting to get his hopes up, then, which meant it couldn't be a _bad_ thing. A way to deal with Pandora, perhaps, although he wouldn't bet money on it. Shinichi came up with some really tangential ideas sometimes.

At least he didn't need to worry about it, which was good, because he still didn't want to let Shinichi out of his sight. That landslide had left him more than a little shaken, and he wasn't ashamed to admit it. For a terrifying time, he'd thought he'd lost his partner.

Shinichi sighed, flipping up the armrest between them, and promptly produced two airline pillows (Kaito was amused to note that the pillows had been in the overhead compartment and Shinichi had very distinctively _not_ gotten up to retrieve them), passed one to Kaito and dropped the other on Kaito's shoulder before leaning sideways and putting his head on top of it.

He got the hint. And… well, there was enough noise in the plane that it would be impossible for either of them to sleep deeply enough to dream, which meant that they might get at least a _little_ rest. It was going to be a long flight.

Might as well try.

_xxxx_

Hakuba was going over the last of his break homework at a quiet tea shop he was fond of (the place had imports from all over the world, Europe not excluded) when, somewhat to his surprise, Nakamori Aoko and Momoi Keiko walked in. "Oh, hey, Hakuba-kun!" Nakamori waved cheerily, quickly echoed by Momoi.

"Nakamori-chan, Momoi-san," Hakuba greeted back, raising a hand to wave invitingly at the other chairs at his table. "How has your break been?"

"It's been great," Momoi chirped.

Nakamori thought about that, "Nice, but weirdly quiet," she decided. "Aoko knows Kaito's been out of the country, but it's still strange not to have any of his stunts going on!"

Hakuba had to admit there was some truth to that. Not a single prank had been pulled on him in over a _week_. That hadn't happened to him while he was in Japan since before he'd transferred to Kuroba's class. "Isn't today the day he and Kudo-senpai return?"

Nakamori nodded, "They get back tonight, Aoko thinks. Tou-san said something about picking them up from the airport after he gets off work."

Hakuba gave a sound of acknowledgement, "I wonder how it went."

Keiko grinned, "Their _honeymoon?_"

Nakamori rolled her eyes, "You've seen them together," she pointed out. "Aoko's not sure they're really, you know, like that. It _was_ arranged."

"Please, both of them are too obviously honorable to take partners on the side," Momoi waved airily, and Hakuba took a moment to wonder how his life had come to this.

"Can we _not_ discuss Kudo-senpai's possible sex life?" he asked, trying not to sound plaintive. He wasn't sure he'd succeeded. "Especially not in regards to _Kuroba._"

Momoi laughed at him outright, but Nakamori seemed to be in at least some kind of agreement. "Hey, is that the chemistry formulas?" she asked abruptly, leaning forward to eye his notebook in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

Hakuba was very grateful. "Ah, yes. I was just going back over them to make sure I hadn't missed anything."

To his vague surprise, Momoi didn't protest the subject change, "Oh, hey—chem class. Can either of you explain the whole acid-alkali neutralization thing the book was talking around? I'm pretty sure it was supposed to make sense, but I just don't get it."

Hakuba was abruptly very glad he'd been working on chemistry. Saved by the book, apparently. "I can try," he offered, "What exactly were you having trouble with?"

_xxxx_

Nakamori Ginzo wasn't the epitome of kindness and patience, but he wasn't anything close to coldhearted and since he knew when Kaito and his husband (that thought still felt a little odd, no matter how well the two managed to match) were arriving back in Tokyo… well, there was no reason _not_ to pick them up.

And maybe if he did it in a police vehicle, they'd manage to get everyone home without any dead bodies showing up. He may not know what had Kudo stumbling over nearly every murder in a forty-kilometer radius of wherever he was staying at any given point in time, but he knew that Kudo _did,_ and he and Kaito could probably stand a day at home before having to deal with that kind of thing.

Then again, Kudo had been out of town for a week, and there had been fewer confirmed murders and a couple missing people in the area. He had the sinking suspicion that Kudo was going to be finding the missing, and it wasn't going to be with them healthy.

Still, hopefully they would have a night's peace, at least. There had been a suicide, a murder, two accidents, and three people reported missing in Ekoda while Kudo was gone—and Nakamori really hoped they'd been right on the first four—which, for as dense a population as Ekoda held, wasn't really all that many. He didn't keep an eye on Megure's area, _hadn't_ kept such an eye on Ekoda until Kaito showed up with Kudo in tow, but the three missing… one was a teen, and might be a runaway, but the other two…

He wasn't sure whether to hope Kudo _didn't_ find them, or did. For Kudo's sake, he didn't want him to find them. For theirs and their families… he wanted them found, and it was unnervingly likely that Kudo would be the one to do it.

He shook off those thoughts and pulled into a parking place, climbing out of the car (obviously a police vehicle, but also obviously not a _patrol_ car) and heading into the airport. He checked the boards to make sure the flight was on time—it looked like it was actually going to be ten minutes early, which had him just in time—and made his way to the appropriate terminal.

And of course they'd be the second and third people off the plane, carry-ons slung casually over Kaito's shoulder while Kudo waved a hand in his direction.

"Kaito, Kudo-kun!" he called, despite knowing that Kudo had already spotted him.

"Hey, Nakamori-keibu," Kudo offered a tired smile, and the slight shadows under his eyes had concern rising in his chest. He glanced at Kaito, who looked more rested if no more cheerful, and frowned.

"What happened?" he asked, automatically reaching out a steadying hand as Kudo swayed a bit.

Kudo hissed and flinched out from under his grasp, his opposite hand raising protectively towards his upper arm before he aborted the movement.

"Kudo-kun?" he asked sharply.

"Just a bruise," he assured, before pausing, "and a scrape," he conceded. "Bit of an accident up the mountain."

There was something more to that, but neither looked to be wanting to talk. He could respect that. "Ekoda or Beika?"

They exchanged glances, then Kaito nodded. "Ekoda."

Well. That was easy, at any rate. "Did anything bad happen?"

Kaito laughed, and it was more wry than amused, but at least there was no bitterness, "One murder in the airport in Russia and one in Ainsworth, plus we saved a group of teens who'd gotten in an accident where a trail had washed out and Shinichi got caught in a _landslide,_ but…"

"You got caught in it, too," Kudo pointed out, his expression flickering darkly.

"Only the fringes," Kaito sighed, "And it wasn't the landslide itself, really. It was… we were separated in the middle of it, and…"

"It was terrifying," Kudo stated, "I thought I'd lost him. I couldn't figure out how _I'd_ made it, but two miracles would have been too much to ask for."

"I didn't realize I was at the edge until I was out," Kaito said quietly, "I thought… I thought I'd lost him, too. He'd had to dodge further in when that first boulder came down, and…"

Ah. That explained the weariness. Just from their shared tone, he could guess it was nightmares. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

Kudo offered a wan smile while Kaito shook his head, "You're already doing plenty, Nakamori-keibu! A ride home and a night's peace will help a lot."

He considered them both carefully as they snagged their bags off the claim round, and decided to take them at their word. "All right. I'll keep Aoko from banging on your door too early tomorrow. You both look a little jet-lagged."

Kudo rolled his eyes as Kaito snorted, but both their cheer turned a little more genuine. "No need to be so tactful, Nakamori-keibu. We know we have tanuki-eyes."

Nakamori shrugged and herded them both to the car, glad to hear something vaguely approaching a joke out of Kudo. He seemed to have a harder time staying optimistic than Kaito.

Of course, Kaito was _Kaito,_ and Nakamori was pretty sure that _Kaitou KID_ didn't have the boy's knack for unrelenting cheer.

_xxxx_

_Home_, Shinichi thought, dropping his and Kaito's bags in the front hall. Home or not, though, neither of them had been there for a week, and there were some habits that simply could not be allowed to break.

He turned right while Kaito veered left, both sweeping for surveillance equipment or other tampering.

They met back in the hall and headed upstairs, checking every room carefully, no matter how weird it felt to go through Chikage's underwear drawer. Naturally, the one that took the longest was the workshop, but after they were satisfied the house was clean, Kaito called for takeout (neither one of them was going to go grocery shopping and they didn't have anything to cook, and no way did they have the energy to deal with Aoko until they'd gotten a good night's sleep) while Shinichi hauled their bags to the laundry room to start the wash.

"Better?" Kaito asked after hanging up.

"Good," Shinichi replied truthfully. It was. If nothing else, the surroundings were a reminder that they _weren't_ running, that they were—for now, at least—safe.

Kaito smiled moving over to drape himself across Shinichi's shoulders. "Great! We're having ramen."

Comfort food. Hard to argue that. Still… "I need to talk to Koizumi. Maybe borrow her library."

Kaito leaned back slightly to blink at him. "… The possible project?"

"Checking feasibility, first, but yes."

Kaito gave a soft hum. He was the one who did most of their 'projects', as most did not involve mahou to any large degree. Such things were tiring and risky, as they didn't want the Black to spot the ace up their proverbial sleeve.

"Risk?" Kaito asked.

"Doubtful," Shinichi replied, rather than giving a ranking.

"Oh," Kaito relaxed, "Well, that's fine, then."

Shinichi huffed softly, smiling a little. He knew his projects could get a little… risky, when he got involved in cases, but this wasn't about a case, or the organization, or anything like it. This was about him, and Kaito, and knowing the other was okay. In and of itself, there really shouldn't be any risk—well, past the usual fatigue headaches, anyway.

Kaito grinned back, "It's nice being home," he informed.

Shinichi huffed again, not quite a laugh. "Yeah," he agreed. "It is." Even if tomorrow was almost guaranteed to be annoying and probably full of bartering with Koizumi unless she was feeling particularly magnanimous for some reason.

_xxxx_


	57. Chapter 56

_Here, have a present. Also, for anyone wondering, Pandora should be addressed again next time. _

**_Chapter 56_**

"How are you even _awake?_" Kaito moaned pathetically, flailing an arm ineffectively in his husband's direction.

Shinichi (somehow not only already up, but seeming terrifyingly cheery) apparently decided to take pity on him. "Go back to sleep, Kaito. I'll leave the blinds cracked a bit, but I need to head out. If Koizumi's not at home, she'll be a pain to find."

That was true_._ And while anyone else going to look for Akako at her home would have Kaito grudgingly going along to make sure nothing bad happened, Shinichi could take care of himself. And also Akako, if it came to that. Shinichi was _scary,_ when he wanted to be.

"Gragh," Kaito stated, articulately.

Shinichi chuckled and left the room.

Kaito pulled the covers up over his head and determinedly went back to sleep.

_xxxx_

Shinichi wasn't exactly surprised to find Koizumi Akako in her supernaturally-defended home (the woods were laced with confusion and disorientation spells, as well as a compass-scrambling one that had any kind of directional aid roughly useless), as it _was_ still a school break and she only rarely socialized.

There was a reason none of her high-school classmates aside from Kaito knew where she lived, and Kaito hadn't learned until after he and Shinichi had started working together. The spells in the trees made no difference to Shinichi.

He checked his watch (past nine-thirty, and she'd always been a reasonably early riser when she wasn't needing 'witching hour' for some spell) and knocked firmly on her door before waiting for her… he'd go with 'butler' to answer.

(The construct wasn't human, for all it bore a great resemblance. It wasn't all that intelligent, either, though it could speak. He was pretty sure it fell somewhere in the category of 'homunculus', but he'd never asked for specifics and he wasn't going to start now. Not on something that already inspired such a disgusted pity in him.)

It was entertainingly gratifying that Koizumi had genuinely not expected him, frowning when her strange little butler showed him into her sitting room. (The whole place came off like a haunted mansion, inside and out, and the tang of Red Magic in the air was almost stifling. This was Koizumi Akako's place of greatest power, and here she had the home-field advantage. But he wasn't her enemy, and she wasn't his.)

"Why are you here, Kudo-san?" she asked, eying him with something like wariness.

"I wanted to ask you a few questions, and possibly request the use of your library."

She hesitated, but Akako had always been a curious one, and he couldn't imagine this younger version would be any different.

"Ask, then," she decided after a moment, "though I do not promise answers."

He asked, and she frowned at him. "It is extremely ill-advised to forge a link by force between two people. There have been some few cases of natural links where none of the usual drawbacks occur, but when one uses magic to force one… well. Individuality tends to be lost; and, quite often, one or both of the linked parties dies when their minds cannot take the strain."

"I am aware of that," Shinichi told her, raising an eyebrow. "I have no intention of making a link. I simply want a way to know if he's alive."

She blinked. "It is not the same thing? Ah… then it should be possible. There are ways to link objects to someone's life-force; I suppose the same could be done for a tattoo or something similar."

Well. That was a relief. Somewhere to start would make it a lot easier. Shinichi nodded, "Then I would like to negotiate the use of your library for the sake of research."

"You truly are not a fool," she murmured, pleased. "Very well. When you make your spell, you will tell me how. Such a thing could be useful, one day."

Huh. Fair. Not what he'd been expecting—he'd known her to drive some very hard bargains. But then, she _had_ said she would no longer stand against Kaito or him. Perhaps the harder bargains were out of her reach, with that. As the 'Heir to the Throne of Red Magic', she had to follow certain rules of conduct and one of them was honoring her word, at least when it was given to another.

Shinichi agreed, and Koizumi let him into the library.

He set his shoulders and started looking. It wasn't organized and half the books he couldn't even recognize the writing in, let alone _read,_ but he was pretty sure he could find what he needed sooner or later, as Koizumi wouldn't make a deal unless she thought he could come through on it. (He was only planning on _finding_ what he needed, today, not researching what he found. The library was simply too chaotic. Knowing where the materials were would help later, and he wasn't asking for a miracle.)

_xxxx_

Kaito woke up again when the doorbell rang—not Shinichi coming home, then, as even if he'd forgotten his key, he had ways of opening the front door without it. Probably Aoko.

He sighed to himself, glanced at the clock, and decided worrying was pointless. Shinichi had barely been gone an hour, and it took longer than that to even get to Akako's house, so add in time for question/answer and return even if he didn't get access to the library, he'd be gone at least three. Probably four or five.

With that in mind, Kaito rolled out of bed and debated using his talent at speed-dressing to at least _look_ like he was awake before dismissing the idea and making his way down the stairs to get the door, checking to make sure it really was someone he knew before opening it on habit.

"Bakaito! What took you so l—were you still asleep?" Aoko switched questions mid-word, staring at his pajamas.

Kaito gave her a bleary glare, "What does it look like, Ahouko?" he grumbled, stepping back to let her in. "Shin-chan had an errand to run, so I went back to bed."

She blinked at him, "You let him go by himself?"

Kaito frowned, "Why wouldn't I? Shinichi can take care of himself, and I want nothing to do with his 'errands'. They usually involve dead bodies and police stations."

Aoko gaped at him.

Kaito shrugged, because that had been a technical truth, but he really just hadn't wanted to deal with Akako. Shinichi tended to handle her better than he did. "Just because I _can_ deal with it doesn't mean I _like_ to."

Aoko closed her mouth and took off her shoes, "Ano… are you okay, Kaito? You're not usually so…" she waved, apparently unable to articulate.

"I'm not immune to jet-lag," he informed her. "I don't know how Shinichi _is."_ Which was completely true—Shinichi somehow seemed impervious to post-travel exhaustion whenever he was returning home, and it wasn't _fair._ Kaito half-believed that he somehow absorbed Shinichi's jet-lag and thus got a double-dose while Shinichi got out of it entirely. (Of course, Shinichi tended to get more tired on the way _to_ places, but Kaito was too sleepily grumpy to feel mollified by that.)

Shinichi also tended to laugh at him when he was bumbling about dazed with sleepiness, and had told him all too seriously that he was adorable when he was half-asleep. (It was meant in good humor, but Kaito was still glad to not be such an easy target this time, because even though it was only Shinichi, being compared to kittens and small children was just _embarrassing_. He was an international jewel thief wanted in over a dozen countries; he was not supposed to be 'adorable'.)

"Aoko's never seen Kaito sleepy before," Aoko observed, eying him with something approaching glee.

Kaito got a sudden bad feeling about his morning.

"Kaito's so cute when he's all ruffled!"

Kaito groaned and called his phone to his hand from where it had been on his desk upstairs, using a puff of smoke to make it look like one of his usual sleight-of-hand tricks, and sent Shinichi a plaintive text. (_Aoko's picking on me while I'm too sleepy to defend myself.)_

Twenty seconds later, he got a response, Aoko peering at his phone's screen from over his shoulder as he turned away with a pout.

'_There's chilled mocha for you in the fridge. It should wake you up enough to manage.'_

"Shinichi's the _best,_" Kaito decided, texting the sentiment to his husband as he went into the kitchen, Aoko snickering as she followed him.

She had the decency to let him get halfway through his drink before leaning across the table towards him, grinning, "So, how was Kaito's honeymoon?" she looked _way_ too intent, "Did it go well? What did Kaito and Kudo-kun do? Aoko wants to know!"

And of course the more excited she got, the less she used pronouns. She never had gotten entirely past using 'Aoko' instead of 'I', although she'd started using second and third person pronouns more reliably by the end of high school. Sometimes it was hard to remember that all the changes he'd seen in everyone he knew… _weren't. _That they hadn't even been made, yet.

Still, she was excited, and there had only been two murders, so there was no harm in answering. And, if he told it right, it _would_ make a good story. They'd saved four lives and survived a landslide, as well as gotten two murderers arrested. So, all he needed to do was avoid references to Pandora or giving Aoko reason to worry.

Kaito swallowed the last of his mocha, set his mug aside, and started to spin a tale.

_xxxx_

Megure spent about three seconds musing that Kudo-kun's life was patently _unfair_ after the 110 call on his first day back from his honeymoon. The fact that Kudo-kun had sounded resignedly exasperated rather than upset only reinforced the thought, and he sighed and called for Takagi and Sato.

Kudo-kun seemed to actually like Takagi, after all, and Takagi only ever defended Kudo-kun when certain other members of the force grumbled about him (or, rather, how he was annoyingly right about _everything_), which meant that those two were a good choice. If Kudo-kun was going to be having to solve cases on his first day home, it could at least be with people he got along with.

It was a sad fact that Kudo-kun living mainly in Ekoda these days hadn't diminished his visits to the Beika precinct at all; but then, the TMPD Division One was for all of Tokyo and Megure's group got called in for just about everything that fell under 'violent crimes' while the closer officers got the area cordoned and controlled. Megure's group _was_ considered the best, and no one else seemed to want to take that title.

Sighing, he sent Takagi and Sato on their way to meet Kudo-kun at the latest crime scene. With any luck (not that Kudo Shinichi seemed to have any, at least not of the good kind), it would be one of the people that turned up missing while Kudo-kun and Kuroba-kun had been in Canada. At least then it wouldn't be someone new to worry about, morbid and callous as the thought seemed.

_xxxx_

"Kudo-kun!" Takagi greeted, trying to sound cheerful and testing the young detective's reaction to the lessened formality. He liked Kudo, but he'd rather be seeing him somewhere _other_ than a crime scene.

Kudo didn't protest the suffix, instead nodding to him, "Takagi-keiji," he returned, eyes slipping past Takagi's shoulder to where it sounded like his partner was catching up, "Sato-san."

"Hey, Kudo-kun," Sato greeted, halting at Takagi's shoulder and giving the area a searching look. "Where's Kuroba-kun?"

"Home," Kudo waved off the implied concern before Takagi could start to worry, "He wanted to sleep in and I needed to talk to a classmate of ours that… well, I can deal with her better than he can. She's a bit creepy."

Takagi spared a few seconds to cut off the instinctive wondering of who _Kudo Shinichi_ would call 'a bit creepy'. He really, truly did _not_ want to know. "What have you got for us, Kudo-kun?" he asked as soon as he'd quelled the scary thoughts.

"Body, male, between thirty and forty years old, dead at least five days. Fairly desiccated and not visibly decayed, almost a partial mummification, though it doesn't look intentional—more like the body was moved here recently from somewhere with a lot of a hydrophilic substance. Possibly sodium chloride, definitely some kind of salt in the chemical meaning of the term. No clothing or identification, and it _looks_ like the body was rinsed at some point before being left here, because there are no granules and the traces on the skin may obviously be salt, but they're too thin for me to tell what kind by sight. There are other traces, though—sand from a canal, and there's what looks like part of a magnolia leaf by the door. There aren't any magnolia trees within three kilometers of here, but it _might_ be unrelated."

Takagi looked around the park, glanced at the worn-down gardening shed that hadn't been used since they'd built a new one ten years before, and wondered how Kudo-kun always stumbled into these things. "Well, let's get started, then," Takagi sighed, moving over to look into the shed. "Forensics are on their way, too."

Shinichi sighed and sent a text to Kaito, letting him know where he was and why he wasn't going to be home for a while, then went back to work. This one wasn't very familiar—he felt like he'd read something about it, but this was right about when he and Hattori had been at Mycroft dealing with those murders, and the location was wrong even if the description of the body was similar—oh.

"Takagi-keiji, you know that warehouse over in Haido, the one that the salt factory in Otsu* used to own before it shut down?"

"Ah… hai, did you want me to ask for someone to check it out?"

They hadn't actually found who'd done it, the last time around. Why the body had been moved this time, Shinichi didn't know, but he wasn't leaving the murder unsolved when he was the one to have found it, this time.

Shinichi nodded, "Have another team of forensics meet me there. I have reason to believe that's where the body was kept, even if the man wasn't killed there."

Another day, another case. Life was back to relative normal.

(The man's name and family—and killer—were found; he'd been reported missing in Haido several days before, which made identification somewhat easier. He'd had a twenty-three year old son, a nineteen-year-old daughter, and a wife. He'd owned a small restaurant and been refusing to sell the building, and the man who'd been making offers and eventually threats had gotten angry enough to kill. It wasn't the first time Shinichi had seen something like it, but it was so petty, so _stupid._ He would never understand why people murdered each other.)

(Shinichi's 'normal' was depressing, for all that he'd been told the reason. At least he stumbled over these things for good cause. It was a small comfort, but even small comforts were welcome in the face of so much malice.)

_xxxx_

_*Completely fabricated, aside from the port-city's name._


	58. Chapter 57

_Yay for coffee shops!_**  
**

**_Chapter 57_**

"That… took a while," Kaito observed, eying Shinichi's form carefully. He looked a little… _something._

"I'm fine, Kai-" Shinichi cut off to sneeze, sniffling and calling a tissue box to him to blow his nose with a mutinous glower.

Kaito got up, alarmed. "Hey, are you okay?" (Shinichi was fine, he'd never been shrunk, his immune system was _fine._)

"Warehouse in Haido where the body'd been kept before the killer moved it," Shinichi grumbled in something between reassurance and sulky explanation, "I've been sneezing ever since."

"Allergy?" Kaito asked, puzzled. He'd not known Shinichi to be allergic to anything.

"Dust," was the reply. "Everywhere. It was _fine_ before the breeze came through and stirred it up."

He looked so petulant as he blew his nose that Kaito couldn't help but snicker, "Oh, you poor thing."

Shinichi glowered at him, but his sneezing had stopped and he was noticeably less sniffly after running through another few tissues, and Kaito laughed and made his way to the kitchen, "I'll have lunch ready in ten minutes. Why don't you go get cleaned up?"

Shinichi nodded, heading up the stairs with a waved '_thanks_'.

Kaito grinned to himself as he pulled out what he needed. Murder aside, Shinichi seemed to be in a decent mood, and it _was_ good to be home.

_xxxx_

Twenty minutes later, Shinichi snagged the dishes and took them to the sink, rapping his knuckles on the counter briefly.

Kaito frowned at his request, but brought out and turned on his white-noise generator/jamming device that worked almost as well on eavesdroppers as machines. "Clear," he murmured.

"What do we do with Pandora?" Shinichi asked.

Kaito opened his mouth, hesitated, and frowned. "You don't think we can destroy it."

"Not easily," he admitted. "How much do you remember of… that night?"

Kaito leaned back, grimacing in a way that said he didn't want to think about it, but closed his eyes like he always did when he was visualizing a memory that wasn't entirely clear. "We got it, then _They_ showed up. We weren't expecting them, and there were gunshots—you got clipped, I got hit, then… something sparked?"

"I had a good grip on it when one of the bullets hit it, but it got knocked out of my hand anyway. It was pure luck that it was angled so it hit me in the chest and I could catch it again—but it wasn't scratched or cracked. Quartz should have been."

"It _is_ quartz, though," Kaito stated, no trace of doubt in his tone. Kaito knew minerals even better than Shinichi did, but either way Shinichi agreed.

"But it isn't _normal_ quartz. Even diamond can shatter if it's shot—the structure fractures along the crystal's matrix if the impact is sharp enough. Quartz isn't nearly so hard. I've checked it against a few things—it scratches glass, but not that topaz that Kaa-san kept in the attic for some reason… but the topaz doesn't scratch _it,_ either. Neither did that unset diamond in the safe. It's no _harder_ than normal quartz, but… it can't be damaged as easily as it should be. If at all."

Kaito frowned. "That… isn't very encouraging, although I shouldn't be surprised. Why would an object of power be easy to destroy?"

"If we could figure out _why_ it's so resilient, we might be able to undo it, but…"

Kaito blinked, "But?"

"… It's what got us here. What happens if we _do_ manage to destroy it?" It was a question that had been bugging Shinichi since the moment he realized _when_ he was after he'd woken in a house that had been gone for years. What _would_ happen if they destroyed it? Would this continue as it had been, or would they die? Worse, would they break something far greater than themselves… like, oh, the continuity of the world?

Kaito paused, "That's… a very good question. I never thought about that."

Of course he wouldn't have, considering he'd been trying to chase down and destroy it for a good two thirds of his life. Shinichi's focus on the stone had always been to help Kaito find it.

If Kaito still wanted to try and destroy it without at least getting some solid ideas on what would happen, Shinichi wouldn't stop him. Wouldn't try to, would _help_ him. But… it would be safer, if they at least looked through Akako's library or even asked the witch herself. Possibly destabilizing the universe wasn't something he wanted to have a hand in, even though he might, if Kaito asked him to. (In the end, Kaito decided that they were better off doing some research before trying any breakage ideas. Shinichi was relieved, if only because he didn't want to accidently undo time or something equally improbably damaging. He'd long since learned that 'impossible' didn't exist.)

_xxxx_

At around eleven the next morning (Kaito patently refused to acknowledge Hakuba's more precise recording of time) someone screamed about a block away from where he, Hakuba, and Shinichi were walking.

Shinichi sighed and Kaito had to wonder: "Why did we agree to go out with Hakuba today, again? I'm not sure I can remember."

"Because this was going to manage to happen anyway, and better Hakuba-kun than Nakamori-chan?" Shinichi half-asked.

That was a point, yes. "Make Hakuba handle it," Kaito ordered.

Shinichi rolled his eyes, "I'll supervise, today."

Hakuba cast them both a look that managed to be somewhere between exasperated, wincing, and grateful.

Kaito waved back, acknowledging that the British detective could hear them before he turned his attention back to Shinichi. "Familiar?"

"Vaguely," Shinichi ran a hand through his hair, "Give me a minute to filter. The trip seems to have things a little… jumbled."

"Distance problem or a 'wasn't here' problem'?" Kaito asked, seeing Hakuba grimace at the question even as he bent to examine the plastic-wrapped body more closely.

"More that several are similar, and we weren't here at the time of, so I don't know which it was just yet. This body was moved, too, after all."

Yeah, Kaito might not have been detective, but even he could see that easily. The body was in a trash bag in the middle of the street with a bag of actual trash beside it and the bin it had been hidden in tipped onto the pavement. It had been the garbage truck's driver that had screamed—the lifting mechanism of the truck had jammed, so he'd started to hand-empty the bins of non-burnable waste into the receptacle that was the back of his truck only to find that particular bin had been heavy enough to warrant tossing individual bags.

From the look of things, he'd grabbed the first bag to come to hand and made as if to lift and throw, and the bag had torn open while the bin had tipped over when the man had jerked back. Said driver was still against the far wall of the narrow street, pale and shaking, if a bit less so than he'd been when they'd first gotten there.

"Kaito, can you try to get that driver calmed down?" Shinichi asked tiredly, "I need to call Megure and keep the gawkers from getting it into their heads to come closer."

Kaito nodded; it was the best use of his talents at the moment, and while he could handle the bodies with just as much professionalism as Shinichi, he hadn't been lying to Aoko. He didn't like to. (Neither did Shinichi, of course, but Shinichi had his own code. With Kid, no one got hurt. With Shinichi, no killer got _away._) "Good thing this street is usually pretty quiet this time of day," Kaito murmured even as he turned to approach the driver.

He heard the soft agreement as Shinichi's phone clicked open, "Megure-keibu? It's Kudo Shinichi…"

_x_

The fact that Kuroba was taking dead bodies pretty much in-stride was quite the testament towards Kudo's life, Hakuba mused, checking the bag with the body in it and the plastic trash bin it was still half inside for obvious evidence. Checking inside either was going to have to wait for forensics.

It _looked_ like the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the skull (the damage indicating the blow had come from the front) but that couldn't be confirmed with the body still in the bag.

… or without an autopsy, come to think of it. Hadn't Kudo said he'd been stunned by a blow to the head before being force-fed an experimental poison? It meant the tactic wasn't just plausible, it had happened before in the immediate Tokyo area, even if Kudo had been lucky enough to have survived with what looked like no lasting ill effects. (Hakuba hoped, anyway, and Kudo _seemed_ to be in good health—but Kuroba worried, and even the hint of a sniffle had the magician on full alert. Compromised immune system? He shook off the thoughts; there was a dead body in front of him and a case to solve. Kudo's as-yet unspecified reaction to an experimental poison could wait.)

Kudo was glancing over the scene from near the garbage truck, his eyes sharply focused, but Kuroba's command seemed to have his senpai content with having it be more 'live case' training. Kudo's own words meant this might be a case he already had an answer to, if he only saw something to differentiate one head injury from another.

(Weirdly comforting, that Kudo wouldn't let him get the wrong person arrested, and it was… simpler, he supposed, with the experience. Not _easier,_ really, but simpler. Stacking clues came together more readily.)

_x_

Shinichi spotted a glint near one of the garbage truck's tires and moved closer to get a good look at it, only to have things fall into place. Silvery metal—nickel, if he remembered correctly—and a cheap crystal cut into a distinct teddy-bear shape, a thin crack through the tiny torso that hadn't quite shattered the stone. He recognized the cufflink, and now he knew who the victim was within reasonable doubt. One quick check and… yes.

He'd stumbled on the case much faster, the time before. The post-mortem injuries hadn't been there—face and jaw destroyed, likely by the same weapon the man had been hit over the head by, which meant that the fingerprints had probably been burned off, too. This had been premeditated, well-planned and decently executed. Conan's presence near the scene at the time of the crime had denied the killer the opportunity to try and make his victim nameless.

It was a good thing, Shinichi supposed, that he had met Nishiyama Gohei several years before at one of his father's more local book-signings. It had been only in passing, and the first time he hadn't gotten more than a vague sense of recognition before seeing a souvenir-style picture of Nishiyama at the convention with his newly-signed book. He did remember the case, though, and the tiny bird-shaped birthmark behind Nishiyama's ear, where his hair covered it.

Between that and the cufflink (which he'd been wearing in that picture, too), Shinichi had a solid reason to claim recognition and push for a DNA-match.

Shinichi sighed softly, pulling on his gloves. Two minutes later, he had the cufflink bagged after having snapped a picture of it with his phone, and he made his way closer to check for the birthmark.

There, still, undamaged by the beating. "Hakuba-kun?" he offered quietly, "I know who this is."

Hakuba snapped to attention, "You're certain," it wasn't a question. "Is there a believable way to confirm?" he asked lowly.

Shinichi nodded, explaining quietly.

Hakuba grimaced, "I'm sorry, Senpai."

Shinichi tugged off his gloves to scrub a hand over his face, "I knew him the same way you might know the acquaintance of a friend of your parents. I'm… not the one you need to be sorry for." Nishiyama had a fiancé who loved him, and a mother and younger brother who would grieve him fiercely.

"Do you know the crime scene, as well?" Hakuba asked carefully.

Shinichi nodded, "We need to get his identity confirmed, first, and I need to tell Megure-keibu that we should start any questioning by making it seem like he's still listed as 'missing'. There will probably be something we can see from the most likely room for us to be invited into, and then we wouldn't need a warrant."

Hakuba nodded, and Shinichi took a moment to wonder at how far the other detective had come. The last time around, he'd never really gotten out of that to-rigid set of rules mixed with occasional rashness just like any other teen, and that had been what had gotten him killed.

(Not this time. This time, Hakuba wouldn't die so young.)

Police, arriving, and Kaito jogging over with fingers flicking through a quick question. Shinichi offered a summary in a combination of gesture and tap, and Megure came up to them, greeting all three before asking what they already had.

Hopefully, it wouldn't take _too_ long to wrap this up.

(Shinichi's hastily outlined plan worked. They were invited into the killer's home, and Shinichi asked for the toilet. He'd already known Nishiyama had been killed there, and there was blood on the under-sink open pipes. With the sink not set into a counter, but rather a standalone with a medicine cabinet above it, the blood-drops were more than obvious to someone who knew to look. How the man hadn't noticed them… well. It hardly mattered.

After spotting those first, in-easy-sight drops, Shinichi took the time to examine the small room more closely. More drops in a clear pattern along the underside of the outer part of the toilet, both tank and seat. Some splatter out of easy sight beneath and behind the tank, places were blood had dripped down from the back of the tank to the floor. With a sigh, Shinichi snapped pictures and called Chiba into the room, pointing out everything—including little bits of damage, one near the floor with the pattern of knuckles hitting the drywall and scrubbed-at paint that had probably held more obvious blood smears and splatter. It didn't take much more to corner the man into a confession, and the arrest was made.

It _didn't_ take as long to wrap up as he'd feared, but the fact that it needed to be done at all was still depressing. So many deaths, and seeing some twice over… well. It wasn't unexpected, considering the circumstances, but it was still painful. He was so _tired_ of all the death.)

_xxxx_


	59. Chapter 58

.

_**Chapter 58**_

The next week passed relatively peacefully. School re-started, and (aside from one instance where Hakuba ended up wearing a glittery green interpretation of a Sherlock Holmes cosplay while he and his desk had their localized gravity reversed so he was stuck on the classroom ceiling for the better part of a quarter-hour, too nervous at the position to hazard attempting to move) managed to pass more-or-less as normal with both Kaito and Shinichi in class.

There were nine more cases, five of which were repeats and one of which was a kidnapping that managed to end without loss of life, and six of the murders had been those reported as missing during the break (there was some overlap with the repeats, which made four of those easier to handle), but overall… it wasn't too bad. If he took into account that he'd been finding those others had missed, it came down to three during-the-week cases, only one of which was a repeat and one of which hadn't involved anyone dying.

Those lovely little 'week settling back in' statistics aside, Shinichi had found his week had proven quite productive. He'd managed a working prototype on a tattoo-styled link system, that when he deactivated his end had the markings he'd made on paper fade through to whatever their color-wheel opposite happened to be. Green had faded to red, white to black, orange to blue, and reversing them only reversed the color-shift.

An easy way to tell if the link was whole. And, as it was linking to the mark directly, not going to put a strain on anyone's mind.

He'd also not been using _ink._ Or anything with physical pigment. He'd done more-or-less the same as Kaito had done to the Hattori estate: anchored illusions. Such things were weak enough that ambient energy from the air was more than enough to power them, and if he shifted the _type_ of anchor…

Well, it wouldn't be broken by anyone less skilled than whoever set it, and since he didn't think any of their enemies had a handy sorcerer on staff, all he needed to do was figure out a way to link visibility to the _wearer's_ desire as opposed to the _caster's._

And possibly figure out a way to get it to transmit heat-pulses or something similar, that could be used like the tap-code.

…No. No, too many things in one matrix was a bad plan. It would be smarter to make a second setup for that.

He blinked at hearing the bell ring for lunch, startled that he'd managed to space the entire morning working out the details for the spells, and more than a little glad that all the notes were in a combination of the written code that he and Kaito had made alongside sign and tap and his own shorthand. Kaito would be able to puzzle through them eventually, but it would take him a while. Shinichi's 'shorthand' tended to warp depending on subject and available writing space.

Kaito twisted around in his seat, blinked at Shinichi's open notebook, and raised both eyebrows. "Productive morning?" he asked.

Shinichi eyed the diagram for several seconds before scratching out one symbol and replacing it with another before nodding, "I think it's ready. I'll test this approach before setting it, of course, but I think it'll be a working matrix."

Hakuba made a questioning sound.

"Mahou," Kaito waved airily, and Hakuba backed off so fast Shinichi worried about possible self-induced whiplash.

"Not dangerous," Shinichi assured. "At all, if I've done it right."

There was a pause, and Hakuba looked to be biting his tongue in an attempt to keep quiet. Kaito opened his mouth, but Aoko beat him to the question.

"What if Kudo-kun's done it _wrong?_" she asked, sounding somewhere between worried and morbidly curious.

"Migraine," Shinichi replied promptly, which had Kaito relaxing subtly. Shinichi doubted anyone save himself and possibly Hakuba would notice, but he made a mental note to bring up the slight lack of control later. "Perhaps exhaustion. Nothing serious."

If they were still running, even that could have proven deadly, but… here, now? No. Not serious. And it was getting easier to remember that.

_xxxx_

Another three days later, Shinichi had himself and Kaito both sporting their (hidden) 'tattoos'. They weren't visible unless the one wearing the mark actively _wanted_ it visible, which meant there would be no awkward questions on where they'd come from (new tattoos were obvious, red and irritated and needing care before the skin healed) and no horrible questions on a complete color-shift should something happen to one of them.

Kaito had chosen ravens, then sketched out the design he wanted, and Shinichi had mirrored it white on Kaito's left inner shoulder while Kaito put it black on his own. The placement was a combination of symbolism and practicality—_left_ inner shoulder was closer to the heart, and if they were ever in a situation where they wanted to check and had others in direct line-of-sight—well, most clothing was loose enough at the neck to allow at least enough visibility to know whether they were looking at white or black without letting anyone not literally breathing down their necks see.

It was… _comforting,_ he decided. The tingle of Kaito's magic against his skin hadn't faded, yet, and he wondered if maybe making the mark visible to check was going to be pointless, if maybe that warm flicker would vanish if Kaito died, and then immediately quashed the thought.

No more thinking like that. Whatever would happen, would happen, but he was going to do his absolute best to see them _both_ through whole and hale. Besides, he had one more design to make, and while it _had_ initially been intended as part of the one he'd just finished, it wasn't finished itself.

Anyway, he owed Koizumi some designs.

_xxxx_

"Kudo-senpai seems to be… more relaxed, the past few days," Hakuba observed to Kuroba when Kudo had vanished right after the lunch bell rang. He didn't mention that Kuroba had seemed more relaxed, too—and neither of those things made sense. He _knew_ how many bodies Kudo had run into in the past week and a half—it was more even than his usual, as he kept stumbling over those _weeks_ dead from when he hadn't been in Tokyo to find them that day.

Which was a disturbing thought, especially since he was inclined to believe it was _true._

Kuroba nodded cheerfully, "Yup! The trip was—uh, mostly okay? But the landslide was pretty bad, and the whole town was scared of the cave that it happened at, and literally _everyone_ there was getting nightmares whenever there was a red glow from that part of the mountain at night, and then the whole thing came down on top of us, and… well, whatever it was is wearing off, I think."

That was… _odd._ Some kind of radiation? Or—and if he hadn't had it _proved_ to him, there was no way he'd think this—a spell? Either one was a bad option, but he found himself hoping for the spell, much to his private chagrin. He didn't know much of magic, but he was sure that if it _had_ been a spell, the landslide would have had something to do with Kuroba and Kudo getting rid of it.

He voiced that thought in question form, and Kuroba grimaced. "Close enough," he sighed, "The aura was a side effect. Magical artifact that shouldn't have been left unshielded in a cave made mainly out of granite. The natural quartz in the stone absorbed and shifted the energy output into something that could combine with enough absorbed moonlight—_don't ask_—to put off about twelve hours of nightmare aura after reaching a saturation point. Or, that's how Shinichi explained it, anyway, and he's always been better at picking those things apart. We shielded the damn thing, but it turned out that the mica had mainly disintegrated from the energy type, and when the rock started shrinking as it cooled once the field wasn't heating it anymore…"

Hakuba could put that together just fine. Granite had enough mica in it that if all of it had suddenly disintegrated, with enough weight on top, it would collapse. Thus the landslide. Still, "You make _mahou_ sound logical," he said finally, not sure how else to put it.

Kuroba shrugged one shoulder, "It is, more-or-less. It's the exception that proves the rules when it comes to physics, but even exceptions have rules to them."

Okay, that made him feel slightly less freaked out by the thought of magic being real. Kudo had said it wasn't as illogical as it looked at 'first glance', but Kuroba had mostly just liked to make things more surreal, which hadn't helped his opinion of mahou. Finding out Koizumi-san was capable of messing with his emotions with some sort of _allure spell_ had only made things worse.

This was slightly mitigating. _Slightly._

_xxxx_


	60. Chapter 59

_.  
_

**_Chapter 59_**

It somehow managed to be a shock to stumble across Gin and Vodka while heading over to Beika to visit Agasa. Naturally, the two didn't recognize either Kaito or Shinichi—they hadn't actually encountered either, yet, not in person, and neither of them knew about the spy camera on a dove months before.

No briefcase—not transporting a sample of the APTX for human testing, then (it had been _planned_ for Namabuchi, after all, and Shinichi had merely been a convenient replacement 'first human test subject', thus giving Namabuchi the time to escape and further his killing spree), so the poison had already been tested.

Haibara had indicated that the apparent success with him had resulted in some of the strong-arms, like Gin, being issued several pills (she never had gotten injections to work right, as they started from a non-central location and far more rapidly, meaning death occurred before the self-destruction went far enough to leave a body unrecognizable) to use when their 'contacts' lost value.

It was an impulse. He knew what the pills were stored in, saw the shape of glass against the inside of Gin's trench coat's pocket. He didn't try anything as stupid as picking said pocket, though—Gin would probably catch even Kaito pulling something like that, and he definitely didn't want to end up a memorable face or have Kaito do so for him. Instead, he reached with that same twist of _will_ that had police clipboards and coffee cups appearing in Kaito's hands from across a room, essentially teleporting the bottle and contents (four pills, one less than Haibara had said were confirmed available each check-in; someone missing somewhere with no body left to find) into the hand he had casually tucked in his own light jacket's pocket.

If Gin showed up next check-in with missing pills, or found himself unable to poison someone he wanted to kill, he would lose some of Anokata's trust. (_'That person',_ indeed. No codename, because that person didn't need one. None of those trusted enough to know the face, save Vermouth, would betray that person, and even she only if she was _certain_ to not get caught. She may hate the Organization, but she sought survival first. Always.) Compromising Gin's position, even if only a little, was worth it while they were still unable to be traced.

Even _Gin_ would think he'd lost them somewhere if no one brushed close to him, and the other pedestrians were giving him just as wide a berth as Kaito and Shinichi were.

Of course, now that he had them, Shinichi wasn't sure what he could do with them. He couldn't use any of the normal waste disposal methods—too great a chance of accident. And… well, there was a faint possibility of Haibara wanting them if—_when_—she got out. She might be able to find a way to eliminate some of the detrimental side-effects to surviving with it to study directly, after all. Since she would almost certainly _be_ Haibara then, it would be worth it. She'd not had as hard a hit to her immune system as he had, but she had also only reverted two times that he could remember, and each transformation furthered the damage.

Shinichi had gone back and forth between himself and Conan far too many times.

Then they were past the two, neither of the Black operatives so much as glancing at them, and Shinichi breathed a silent thanks to Maat and Tyche for their fortune.

He felt Kaito's fingers on his arm, a quick question.

"I'm fine, Kaito," Shinichi assured, his own fingers tapping a request, 'Set a dove on them? Might get a base.'

'Already on it,' Kaito tapped back. 'Lucky break.'

So far, yes. And he'd have to talk to Kaito about the fact that they now had four terrifyingly deadly pills on hand, but that was best left for a safe place—specifically, one of their houses, preferably the Kid workshop.

For now, Agasa had wanted to show them something he had been working on.

_xxxx_

Agasa smiled at the boys' enthusiasm towards his latest invention—they'd mentioned something about having something like it, in their future-that-wasn't—which was something like a two-way radio, only it used a heavily encrypted satellite uplink instead of radio to transmit.

He'd made them so they only linked to each other, but they had to be voice-activated and he was taking this time to key them to the boys.

Shinichi was seeming a little more relaxed, too, and he was fairly sure the same could be said of Kaito (as he'd insisted Agasa call him), though he didn't know Kaito nearly as well as he did the boy he'd half-raised.

It was good, he thought, that they were smiling. That they were starting to let go of some of the harshness of the edges they'd been holding on to. Maybe they would heal from everything they'd seen—though they had been vague about it. All he knew was that they'd been running, had only had each other to rely on for years.

He knew that kind of thing left scars, but they seemed so much… _lighter,_ he supposed, than they had when they'd first come tricking to his door. Yes, they'd been ridiculous about it… but even then, he'd seen an edge to Shinichi he hadn't seen before. The edge that made it so easy to believe them, that they'd come back from a terrible future and were taking this chance to change things.

It was good, to see that edge easing a little, to see them relaxing enough to no longer seem so wary. They were too young to be living in fear.

_xxxx_

It was on the way back to Beika that Shinichi's luck struck again.

Kaito cursed, nearly subvocal as the group they'd stumbled on (not Organization, some sort of gang, though) managed to force him one way while Shinichi had to dodge the other. He could get away, no problem, but Shinichi had never been quite as good at evasion and neither of them knew the area very well.

It wasn't a good neighborhood, but this was ridiculous and obviously _not_ Kaito's luck.

And the gunshots in the direction Shinichi had gone were not at all encouraging.

Kaito swallowed, cast a glance down at the mark Shinichi had left on his chest (still white, thank every god that had ever watched over them) and started trying to get around the ones who'd taken off after him and go back for his partner.

Escaping would have been easy. Doubling back was proving more difficult, and getting himself caught or killed really wasn't an option. He'd be no good to anyone, then.

Angry voices, and damned if he wasn't going to have to wait them out. Kaito _hated_ waiting. He was good at it—years of necessity had taught him to be good at it—but he hated it all the same.

_Damn it, Shinichi, don't you _dare_ get yourself killed._

_xxxx_

Shinichi, on the other hand, was having a harder time keeping his pursuit off his tail. Kaito had the advantage of warehouses and alleys, but Shinichi had initially been driven into a near-empty lot, something that looked a lot like some kind of power relay station near the middle of it.

Considering how limited his options were, he darted for the partially sub-ground entrance, eyed the thick padlock, and coaxed it open with a twist of will. Once inside, he focused on re-locking the thick chain—he knew at least one of them had seen him enter the relay (it was, and well kept—the amount of power humming through the hub enough to make his skin buzz), but hopefully that it was still chained from the outside would throw them off.

Meanwhile, he needed to see if there was anything else that could be used as an exit.

Turned out the answer was 'no'. Not surprising, really, this sort of thing was really only a maintenance area. While it did have a massive vent to exchange air with the outside above, there was no way a teenager could fit through or even into it. A young child, maybe, but not him.

And Shinichi didn't have the kind of power needed to move _himself_ to another place. Even the padlock had been pushing the boundaries of what he could move at once.

Shinichi sighed and tugged out his glasses, activating the tracker to check Kaito's location. Nearly two kilometers away—they'd really been driven apart. Moving, an arching line that had it clear he was trying to skirt around something to come Shinichi's way before a sudden stop and minor backtrack before stopping again. Having trouble, then, and Shinichi glanced at the shadow of a raven on his chest, relieved to find it black. Dots on a tracking system weren't exactly live surveillance, and right now Shinichi deeply regretted having not finished the communication link yet. The radios in the not-Tantei-badge pins were all well and good, but might also give Kaito's position away if the people he was dodging were too close.

Also, _seriously?_ They managed to walk within five meters of _Gin and Vodka_ unnoticed only to get chased by some no-name gang of thugs? And while it was quite clear that the no-name gang of thugs was just as willing to kill as the Organization, for more-or-less the same reason (no witnesses), they were definitely not the insidious seeping-into-every-government kind of careful cover-up situation as what Shinichi and Kaito were used to dealing with.

This was going to be a long, long day.

The door shuddered, and Shinichi snapped to attention, listening carefully.

"Damn it, man, it's still chained," he heard, muffled by the metal. "You sure about this?"

"Maybe the guy's got small hands and re-locked it before he closed the door. I _know_ he went in there!"

"Fine. Hey, Kip, go get the bolt-cutters. I'll stay to make sure he doesn't run—you three, go check the area, make sure he wasn't psyching us by opening the door."

… _Great._

His options list just got a whole lot shorter.

Shinichi bit his lip, pulled out his phone, and sent a text to Kaito. They both had text silenced and the vibrate function brief for them—even the vibrate was a risk, but they had long since decided it was worth that risk. They needed the police.

Twenty seconds later, Kaito's dot was moving again, this time away.

Not too far—maybe another forty meters back from where he'd been—and then stopped again. Two minutes, and a text came back to his still-open phone.

_Hold on, Shinichi. Police will be there in half an hour._

From the "Move _faster,_ Kip!" on the other side of the door, Shinichi didn't _have_ half an hour.

He eyed the vents, bit his lip, and thought of the pills in his pocket. Closed his eyes.

Then he removed the grate on the vent, and took the one drug he'd prayed he'd never encounter in this life. He'd need to hide for a while, get his bearings, plan out a feasible appearance as a child.

(He had memorized the formula for the antidote, knew Kaito had, too, but it would take months to synthesize it. First, though, he had to _survive._

It was going to be a while before he could safely contact Kaito—hopefully no more than a day, less if he was lucky. But he was going to have to hide until the police left, because he couldn't be seen as Conan. Not yet.

Kaito was going to be so _worried,_ and Shinichi regretted that more than anything else.)

He braced himself, and then the pain hit.

_xxxx_

Kaito heard the sirens long before he saw the squad cars, and the gangsters scattered. In response, Kaito scrambled out to meet them, having checked his own tracking glasses for Shinichi's location more than once.

It hadn't moved in some time, but Kaito's raven-shadow was still white, so Shinichi had to be alive—Nakamori-keibu was here.

And of course he was, Kaito had called him directly, the man still his automatic first-dial response when he thought of police aid.

"Kaito! Where are we looking?"

"His tracker says this way," Kaito managed, scrambling into the car beside his best friend's dad and urging him into what looked like an empty lot except for—power relay station, cut chain, door open.

Kaito was out of the car and running before Nakamori could stop him, and he froze in the open doorway.

Shinichi's phone, open but dark, and the glasses with the tracking device lay abandoned on the floor.

Kaito choked back fear, checking his mark again.

Still white.

"Kaito…"

He shook his head, pocketing the glasses before anyone else saw them and shifting the tracer to inside of the phone's casing. Took a step back.

The room was empty, and Shinichi's possessions were proof enough that he'd been in it. Shinichi himself wasn't there, and didn't have his communication devices—no. He had the watch. All Kaito could do was wait for a call.

The mark was white. Shinichi was alive.

_Missing,_ but alive.

"Kaito…" he let Nakamori-keibu draw him close and wrap a firm arm around his shoulders.

Kaito shuddered once, breathing out harshly.

"We'll find him, Kaito," he heard Nakamori say, and he didn't have the energy left to respond. Kaito wanted to find Shinichi himself, but this close to the time of him having gone missing, the police honestly had a better chance at it. More manpower—Shinichi couldn't be far, not so soon.

Another breath, and Kaito nodded. "Yeah," he agreed after taking a moment to force his panic down. "Okay. Just… please bring him home."

He didn't know who he was asking—Nakamori-keibu or the gods. Maybe both.

He needed Shinichi to be all right. He needed Shinichi to come home.

_xxxx_


	61. Chapter 60

.

_**Chapter 60**_

Shinichi woke somewhere dark and cramped, surrounded by varying levels of buzzing hums. His body ached fiercely and he was horribly thirsty, his head pounding and his stomach cramping the instant he tried to move. His first response was to panic—he'd been caught, had to have been—and then he remembered.

He _hadn't_ been caught, but he was Conan again.

He didn't have his phone or his glasses. He'd left them on the floor on purpose, no matter how much he hadn't wanted to, because he couldn't add to the risk of being found, not yet. (At least the Black didn't know about him this time, not even a little.)

He waited a moment, listening carefully. He wasn't sure how long he'd been unconscious, but if there were still police outside his tiny hiding place, he was going to have to wait longer. But no, only silence.

Carefully, _painfully_, he shifted the screws holding the grate several centimeters out from their places (Kaito always had been better at 'teleporting', though not much else when it came to 'real' magic), using his fingers to catch the slats and lower the grate to the floor.

He clambered out of the vent, reaching back to gather up his jeans, pin, and watch before double-checking that the remaining pills were safely hidden in his jacket's zipper pocket.

He had to get out of here and call Kaito. Maybe… in the other order. He was so _tired,_ and he could barely think. He doubted he'd be able to let himself back out of the bunker-like room, and he really needed to get water.

He sighed and fumbled the battery back into the pin. It wouldn't be much use unless Kaito both got in range and remembered his own pin, but it was comforting to have it all the same. Removing the battery with sore, trembling fingers (he hadn't remembered _before_ taking the damn pill, of course) had been a precaution he'd hated to have to take, but if Kaito had remembered his, he couldn't afford to have it giving his position away and he'd already clambered into the vent, the pin a little too wide to fit back out through the slats and he himself too exhausted from both the poison and magicking the vent-screws back in place to be able to 'port it further out.

He wondered how long he'd been unconscious. He was still so tired, and he probably should have waited for Kaito instead of getting himself out of the vent, but that tight space hadn't been very conducive to staying rational.

He turned on the watch's satellite phone and voice-dialed Kaito.

_xxxx_

When Hakuba received a call from Nakamori-keibu, he'd been mildly confused and more than half-expecting it to have to do with KID. The man didn't exactly call high school detectives for advice, but it was the only thing he could think of.

Until the man spoke.

He felt a chill in his veins as Nakamori asked him if he could come to the station and get Kaito home, because Kudo was missing under grim circumstances.

"What happened?"

The account was short—the two had witnessed a gang crime and the gang had made to silence them; they'd been split up—and Kudo cornered. A text to Kaito for aid and caution, and now Kudo was missing, phone left behind with the tracking device it had hidden within it.

"I'll be there in ten minutes," he informed, voice carefully controlled. Kudo was _missing._ That was frankly terrifying, and he could only pray that the 'missing' was 'hiding' instead of 'dead'. (He hated that the latter was the most likely, but he'd been a detective too long to not think it.)

_xxxx_

Kaito wasn't panicking when Hakuba showed up in Nakamori-keibu's office to take him home.

Well. Much.

Shinichi was alive, he _knew_ that, and it was a comfort—he had probably gotten away, because the gang had been fully intending to kill him, and so he shouldn't be alive if he'd been caught.

But he hadn't come back, hadn't even called. That meant either unconscious or still in too much danger to risk sound. Both of those options were bad, but as long as he was alive, Kaito had a chance to get him _back_.

He didn't protest—or speak—as Hakuba led him away and set about escorting him home. Didn't protest when Hakuba didn't leave. Did hide out in the aviary and start sending his doves to look for his husband.

Hakuba didn't comment past saying he was spending the night, and Kaito shook his head in resignation and showed him to the guest room before hunkering down in his own room.

Hours passed, and it was somewhere around three in the morning when Kaito's phone buzzed. He snapped it open, recognizing the number as the satellite-phone watch, and managed a relieved "Shinichi?"

"_Kaito_," the voice was familiar, but wrong. Oh, gods, it couldn't be—there was no _way_—

"_I… can you come get me? Where you found my glasses—you _did _find them, right?_"

Kaito swallowed hard, "Yeah. Yeah, I did, but Hakuba's here and…"

"_Black house, then. We need a plan. And an explanation. And…_"

Kaito forced himself calm, because Shinichi—oh gods, what had _happened?_—sounded like there was something very wrong. And of course there was, he was _Conan,_ but he also sounded like he was in pain. And of course he did, Kaito had borne witness to the transformation more than once, and it was always, always terrible.

He let out a controlled breath, because this was… horrifying, on more than one level, but Shinichi needed him. As Conan, he was all but defenseless, and the implications of him being in that underground room—he must have hidden, knowing the police were on their way and not having a way to explain himself. The only place would have been…

The vent. But if he'd taken this long to call, he'd likely lost consciousness. "I'll be there soon. Do you need painkillers?"

"_I… no, I don't think that's a good idea just yet._"

"All right, then," Kaito grimaced, because that meant 'yes, but too dangerous', and he hated seeing Shinichi in pain. It had somehow always managed to be even worse with Conan. "Hang tight. I won't be long."

"_Kaito… be careful?_"

"I'll gear for a show with recon colors," he assured. "I need to make sure Hakuba's actually asleep before I head your way, but that'll only take a moment." Because he at least knew that Hakuba was still in the guest room, and he was sure bringing Hakuba to one of the worse parts of town at night was a bad idea.

If explaining Conan was even a good option, it would have to wait. Hakuba was having enough trouble with the murders and magic, so maybe it _wasn't_ a good option… he'd talk to Shinichi about that, too.

(Hakuba wasn't asleep, quite, so Kaito resorted to underhanded tactics—he piped just enough sleeping gas under the door to get the detective to drop off. Hakuba might be a little groggy in the morning, but it wouldn't be enough to be obvious, and he'd probably attribute it to the restless night; Kaito would have to be back by morning.)

Satisfied and geared for a possible fight and small hostage extraction (he doubted it would come to that, but better safe than sorry), Kaito slipped out of the house and headed for where he'd lost Shinichi.

Or, rather… _missed_ Shinichi.

It took him nearly an hour to get to his husband, and when he laid eyes on Shinichi, his whole body shuddered in fear. Shinichi—_Conan_—looked terrible, eyes bright and glazed with fever, lips chapped and pale (dehydration, and thank the gods that he'd had the presence of mind to bring water), shivering and nearly the color of a corpse, blue-white with lack of oxygen.

His heart hadn't taken it well, and that he'd obviously used magic, too…

Kaito didn't remember moving, but he was on his knees next to Shinichi's child-sized body, checking pulse and respiration before easing him up to give him water, his own chest tight with a familiar ache. "Oh, Shinichi," he murmured, not able to keep the sorrow from his voice. "I'm sorry."

He was. And if Shinichi wouldn't get all over his case for self-recrimination, he'd be apologizing for not having been there, for not having his back when he needed it. But they'd gotten careless in their complacency, forgotten that _anyone_ could be a deadly threat.

Shinichi blinked at him hazily, eyelids fluttering shut. His tiny body was exhausted, and with Kaito there, the adrenaline was fading to where he was passing out.

Kaito gathered up every trace of their presence that hadn't already been documented by the police, sequestering it away on his person before picking up his too-small, too-_still_ partner. He checked Shinichi again before slipping out of the room and securing it behind him, melting back into the night and trying to ignore the tangle of guilty sorrow settling heavy in his chest, focusing instead on the tiny form in his arms.

For now, he needed to get Shinichi somewhere safe so he could tend to him. Everything else could wait. Still, though…

"I'm so sorry."

_xxxx_

*_Sequel up, titled 'Waking Dreams'._


End file.
